


Puppy Love

by Lack_of_Common_Sense



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Alternate Universe, Anal Sex, Gross, Kinky, Love Triangle, M/M, Oral Sex, Orgasm Control, Supernatural Elements, Threesome - M/M/M, Voyeurism, Werewolves, Yakuza, because why not, creep-o-factor 6.5/10, desperation makes people do dumb things - kinda like love, lycanthropy, mafia
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-12-03
Updated: 2019-02-02
Packaged: 2019-02-10 05:39:52
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 16
Words: 42,226
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12905262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lack_of_Common_Sense/pseuds/Lack_of_Common_Sense
Summary: Jean's in love with Eren, and he can't really help it. Eren is both weirdly adorable and very sexy, and Jean has the urge to protect the idiot. Unfortunately, considering his position, he can't do jackshit about anything, least of all the fact that Eren is being kept on leash and collar in the boss's room. They used to meet behind Levi's back, but now that the boss has discovered their little trysts, it started an avalanche of catastrophes and misfortune, and as time goes on, Jean is more and more convinced that the only thing Levi wants is to stand in his and Eren's way... Especially considering Levi and Eren have been doing the unspeakable since way back.Still unaware that he's been making quite the name for himself in the organisation, Jean struggles to understand Eren's feelings and Levi's motives, all while failing to see the bigger picture. His future lies entirely in Levi's hands.(Formerly known as The Animal in His Palm. I renamed it because this title fits better.)





	1. Shame on thee, who tasted the forbidden fruit

“Are you absolutely nuts?! He’s gonna kill the both of us if we get caught!”

Pitch blackness. Ragged breath. Wet sounds and hasty whispers.

“That’s why you should hurry up. Your lower half seems pretty eager to go.”

“You have no idea how much I hate you right now.”

“Come on! The longer you take, the higher the chance of somebody finding us here.”

“Then…” Hesitation. “Turn around, I’ll do it from the back. That way it’s more likely to look like I’ve forced myself on you. I—”

“Don’t be ridiculous, Jean!” Eren raised his voice a little. “Do you think it would make me happy if you were the only one to get punished?”

“No,” the sound of a body being slammed on the wall, and a metallic rattle; Eren grunted softly, but didn’t say a word. “But we’re both getting punished either way,” Jean continued. “Except, I really don’t want to have to watch you die. And you can’t deny that he would probably make me. Maybe he’d even want me to pull the trigger of the gun pointed at your head.”

Silence; Eren had no retort. Jean ran his hand up the arch of Eren’s spine, then reached to Eren’s front to unzip his leather shorts. He could feel Eren shudder when he freed his erection; a bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. He’d noticed before that the clothes that guy made Eren wear were always a little too tight and a little too revealing to Jean’s liking. Even in this darkness where he couldn’t see anything at all, he could easily imagine the other’s firm ass, tightly embraced by the small amount of black leather. He remembered well what it looked like. Whenever he came here, he could see Eren wear something like this, with a good half of his butt being visible.

That fucking pervert.

As if the collar around Eren’s neck and the chain, the fucking chain, weren’t enough.

He tugged Eren’s shorts down and leaned closer, whispering: “Hold your legs close together.”

“But I want you to put it in,” Eren snapped back; his voice had a slight hint of desperation.

“You know I can’t do that. Be reasonable, Eren. He’s gonna have both of our heads if he—”

“Argh, god dammit! Fine!” Jean swallowed hard when he felt Eren’s ass rub against him. “Even though it’s already frustrating since you can’t leave any marks…” Eren grumbled, but braced himself on the wall and closed his eyes in expectation. Jean’s hand slid down his stomach and he moaned quietly when Jean’s rough fingers wrapped around his aching length.

Jean pushed his cock slowly in between Eren’s legs, and there was a hiss from his side. The room felt hot, both of them were covered in sweat… but were running out of time, too.

“Hng… Jean, mo—”

The lights flickered and the room lit up in an instant. Jean’s head snapped back to look to the entrance; that fucking pervert was standing there, arms folded on his chest and a dark expression on his face – much, much darker than usual.

“Levi? Why aren’t you going—”

“Wait outside.” Levi stepped in and closed the door quickly. His eyes, cold as steel, pierced the two boys by the wall like bullets. “Don’t mind me, continue.” His tone was indifferent, but firm.

Jean looked down at Eren, whose expression was scared, worried, but aroused still, with lips parted and cheeks flushed. “Sorry,” he muttered and stepped away, letting go of Eren. Levi’s arrival was enough to make him go soft. Awkwardly, he fixed his front, and watched Eren pull his shorts up.

There was a long while of silence. Jean desperately wanted to leave, to run away from Levi’s gaze, but even if Levi were to let him (which was unlikely), he would be unable to. With each passing second, he could feel his legs turn into jelly, and the absence of words from either one of them was making him sick to the stomach. He glanced at Eren, who was now curled up by the wall. What to do?

Levi sat down on his chair, crossed his legs and tilted his head to the side. “I’m eager to hear your explanations, Kirstein.”

“I—” Jean started hesitantly, but was interrupted:

“Explanations on why, even though I sent you on an errand, I found you here, in _my_ room, getting it on with my _pet_.” It hadn’t slipped by Jean’s attention that Eren flinched slightly upon hearing the last word.

Jean grit his teeth. “I’m already done delivering the notices,” he said eventually, looking at Levi with defiance in his demeanour.

“Good job. If only you were as efficient when it comes to other things,” Levi got up and walked over to Jean. “Kneel.”

“Wha—” Jean started, but before he could react, there was a kick to the stomach and another one to the back of his knees, and he fell onto the floor, coughing.

“I don’t like to repeat myself.” Levi’s foot fell heavy onto Jean’s shoulder, his boot sole pressing down. “Well?”

“He’s not… to blame,” Jean glared up into Levi’s face.  “It’s because I made him do it.”

Levi’s eyes narrowed. “That’s neither an explanation nor an excuse. And you should know that my patience is wearing thin.” He grabbed Jean’s chin. “Tell me. What made you think it was a good idea, Kirstein?”

“I hate…” Jean clenched his teeth briefly, then continued, “I hate the way you treat him. I wanted… wanted him to feel good!”

“How is that something you should care about?” Levi let go of Jean’s chin, but he didn’t move away. “What I do to him is none of your concern. Even if I were to have him strip naked and run down the streets, it still wouldn’t be.”

“That’s because…” Jean hesitated. But Levi wasn’t looking at him anymore. “ _Eren._ Come over here,” he commanded.

Eren nodded and slowly walked over to the two of them, the chain attached to his collar dragging behind him like a tail.

“I want to hear your version of the story,” Levi’s foot pushed Jean backwards onto the floor, and before Jean could scurry away, he had Levi’s sole pressed right under his chin. “If what he said is true…” the pressure on Jean’s throat increased slightly.

“N-No, that’s…” Eren’s eyes darted from Levi to Jean and back several times. “He lied,” he breathed out in the end. “I… wanted it as well.”

“Eren! I told you, that—” Jean struggled against Levi’s leg.

“Shut up, Kirstein.” Levi leaned on his foot a little more, watching Jean squirm. “Don’t interrupt him. So far, nothing you said was in your favour. Go on, Eren. Were you pent up? Or is it that he’s closer in age to you?”

“I…” Eren looked away, “… no. The truth is, I, to Jean…”

“You what?” Jean wheezed, “seriously? You never told me!”

“Wasn’t it obvious, you horse-faced bastard?!” Eren’s face turned red.

“This is getting ridiculous.” Levi stepped away and made his way back to his chair. “Since when has this foolery been going on?”

“Since… half a year ago?” Eren estimated, looking at Jean, who was sitting and rubbing his throat. “But… we haven’t really gotten anywhere.”

“Which means?” Levi folded his arms on his chest again.

“We’ve just… kissed, for the most part. Today, we tried more, and… then you found us.”

Levi pinched the bridge of his nose. “Listen, you two,” he said eventually. “I’m tired. Exhausted. Going to people’s houses personally is annoying and I always get my shoes dirty. I don’t want to have to deal with this right now. Don’t misunderstand me, I’m furious. I wanted to return here, have some late dinner, have my dick sucked to relieve my headache, and go to sleep. Because of your… whatever it is you have… both my plans and my appetite are in ruins. At first, I wanted to beat you to death, Kirstein. However, I can’t afford to lose people. Not now, since we’ve lost some in the last squabble. And you have proven to be more or less useful so far.”

Gesturing for Eren to come closer, he continued. “You two are hereby forbidden to meet unless I know about it. And, of course, no sex. If I catch you one more time, I’m going to have you castrated, Kirstein. Eren is for me to use.”

Jean watched Eren kneel between Levi’s legs. There was no command from the boss’s side, but Eren’s hands started unbuckling Levi’s belt.

Jean turned away. “Do I have to be here for this?”

“I was going to send you away, but now that you asked, why don’t you stay and watch?” Levi ran his fingers through Eren’s hair, then grabbed a fistful of it firmly. Jean gulped, his fists clenching as he looked their way again. Eren’s soft gasps and the wet sounds were unbelievably infuriating. When he saw Eren reach to his still exposed crotch, tears of helpless anger welled up in his eyes. To be forced to witness this… to see Eren, whom he confessed to, get aroused whilst sucking Levi’s dick…

The worst part was that he couldn’t bring himself to resent Eren for it. Even though he hated the fact, even though he felt terribly humiliated, even though it was beyond outrageous… he just couldn’t. “Let…” he said, his voice failing him, “let me leave. I’m begging you.”

“This is your punishment, Kirstein. Don’t you dare move from there until it’s over.” Levi glared at him.

Jean inhaled shakily. What torture. Even though he knew he was actually rather lucky that he was still breathing, because he thought for sure he’d get skinned alive for what they’d done, he would rather die than be a part of this.

Levi’s hand pushed Eren’s head down to the hilt, and Jean bit his lip through when he heard Eren whimper. “Drink up,” Levi whispered, loosening his grip on Eren’s hair. And Eren did, swallowing everything to the last drop.

Jean closed his eyes, gritting his teeth again. From where he stood, he couldn’t see _everything_ , thankfully, but he still could see and hear quite enough for a lifetime. Eren’s ragged breath, his flushed cheeks and his wet lips when he pulled away while avoiding Jean’s eyes.

“Get out, Kirstein.” Levi was focused on Eren’s face, he didn’t even bother turning his head.

Angrily, Jean stomped out of the door, nearly running into Hange, Levi’s right hand, on the way. Muttering a hasty apology, he made a quick escape before there was a chance for him to be stopped and questioned.

This wasn’t the first time he had to see such a thing, but it was his first time to stand so close. He never understood why Eren obeyed Levi so unconditionally, and he never got any answers when he tried asking. Even the other people who were under Levi’s command had no idea… or perhaps they did not want to tell. Regardless of the reason, Jean hated it. The first time he’d met Eren, it was there, in that very room, and he was in the very same position – with his head between Levi’s thighs. He was wearing something else then, but it was revealing nonetheless, and of course, the collar was in place at that point as well.

He didn’t understand the collar, either. Eren could take it off if he tried to – Jean checked; it was even loose enough to be pulled over Eren’s head, if needed. And, strangely enough, Jean was also painfully certain that Levi didn’t need the collar to be there. It was a formality, one that Jean failed to decipher. Because even without it, Eren would accept anything Levi did to him.

Eren didn’t want to be free from Levi and this place. To Jean, who was here against his will because of his family’s involvement with Levi’s company – what Levi _called_ a company, anyway – that was a mystery. Whoever got employed by Levi was dead to the world – disappeared, vanished, _gone_. Their own relatives would avoid meeting them, they considered the residents of this building deceased. Sometimes, funerals were held – and when they were, Levi attended them. And even though Jean knew well why that was, he resented Levi for that.

It was incredibly hard to keep up with Levi, in more ways than one. He was earning money through underhanded ways; threats and inflicting pain were something that could be seen on daily basis. Whoever made the mistake of borrowing money from him was a dead man, because to return such sums with such an ungodly interest was often not within the realm of human possibilities… unless, like with Jean’s family, they were given another option – to have their child work for Levi. He’d come, and with a single glance he knew whether the child was worth his time.

Jean jumped the chance. He didn’t want his family to have even more problems.

The interest was cancelled. All Jean earned under Levi’s supervision was to lessen Jean’s parents’ debt.

However, they could never meet him again. And although he was allowed to check on them time to time, he couldn’t say a word. It broke his heart when they held his funeral.

He hated Levi for having attended that one. He hated Levi for making his parents cry. He hated Levi for putting his family in such a crazy debt. He hated Levi for robbing him of freedom. And first and foremost, he hated Levi for treating Eren the way he did.

Even though Levi knew Eren much longer than Jean did, nothing gave him the right to have Eren become partly a toy and partially a live exhibit for whoever entered that room. He kept the boy like a normal person would keep an exotic animal – on a leash, in a special room, and he fed him himself.

Jean would sometimes notice bruises and bitemarks on Eren’s skin. He never mentioned them, though – and all in all, he could see that Eren wasn’t suffering. He wasn’t too skinny, he even worked out quite a bit, and although he was a little pale because he rarely got out to catch some sunlight, Levi made sure to walk him to the rooftop for at least an hour every day.

Not like a human being.

Like a pet.

Jean was sure that was something that should be reported. But… he couldn’t do that. Even if it weren’t for the danger he’d put himself and some others in, he knew that Eren would not forgive him. He could also easily imagine that it would be in vain – Levi was no fool, and Eren would be on Levi’s side for sure. Not to mention that Levi knew better than to let anybody discover all the illegal things he’d done – where there’s no evidence, there’s no crime. And lastly, Jean and others would lose the roof above their heads if someone from outside started poking into Levi’s shady business.

Plus… even though Eren admitted to be in love with Jean, there was some sort of bond between Eren and Levi that Jean just couldn’t touch. And Jean knew that if Eren had to choose between the two of them, he’d go to Levi without a second thought.

He entered his room and without a second thought, he made his way straight to his bed, where he fell face-first onto his hard mattress. Thinking about it, Levi never mentioned Eren being punished. And although Jean did not doubt that there was something bad in stock for Eren, it seemed like Levi was not willing to kill Eren despite having discovered them in action. If Jean were in Levi’s shoes, he’d most likely consider it betrayal. And Levi’s fuse was known to be just as short as the man himself. That’s why it was even weirder to see that Levi had such a soft spot for Eren.

“Hi.”

The door opened and Jean rolled over to see. “Hi,” he replied sourly. Armin, his roommate, was a plain and boring guy with a weird haircut. The important thing was, he was – for whatever reason – Eren’s friend. Had been way since before Jean even came here. It was clear that Armin didn’t approve of Levi’s actions, but he kept silent, and it was pointless to try and talk about that with him.

“What happened?” Armin enquired, having immediately noticed Jean’s mood.

“We got caught,” Jean responded and turned around to face the wall. He felt shitty. Although it was mostly Eren’s fault, Jean was equally to blame, since he should have backed out in time. They got caught once before – when Armin walked in on them kissing. Thankfully, Armin had not told anyone, but because of their stupidity, that didn’t last long.

“By whom?!”

“Levi himself.” Jean didn’t want to talk about it anymore. The way it ended, they both got away by sheer luck, but they were fucked anyway.

“Wow.” Armin hesitated. “Judging by the way you are, Eren is okay, right?” he said eventually.

“I think so,” Jean muttered. “I hope so. He – Levi – didn’t say anything about punishment.”

“Thank God. I have no idea what I’d tell Mikasa if something happened to him.”

Mikasa. The girl Jean used to be interested in, but then he got rejected… and only after that he was forced to come here and found out that she was a certain pervert’s niece, and Eren’s childhood friend. She was overprotective of Eren and although Jean was positive she hated Levi, there was no way she’d support Jean’s and Eren’s relationship. If anything, she was likely to be strongly opposed.

“Shuddup, I’m gonna sleep,” he said quietly, not wanting to have to think about anything anymore.

That’s when the door opened again. “Jean?”

“Nh?” he turned around at the sound of Hange’s voice.

“Levi wants to talk to you. Now, if possible.”

“What—I _just_ left that room!” Jean sat up, and he could already feel his heart sinking. Whatever Levi had to say, it couldn’t be good.

“Don’t ask me, I don’t know,” Hange shrugged their shoulders. “He didn’t want to tell me.”

“Damn it.” Jean jumped to his feet and stormed out. Regardless of what awaited him, each extra second could mean penalty, and he was not having any of that.


	2. Waltz with danger, and thou shall see

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School? Whaaaat? You mean I have to study? Whaaaaat? You're talking crazy right now.

Stopping in front of the door, Jean hesitated briefly. He didn’t want to come in after all. His palms were sweating and he felt bitterness under his tongue; the expectations of whatever Levi might have to say were binding his limbs.

Clenching his teeth, he knocked on the heavy wood in front of him. Upon hearing the permission, he swallowed hard, then grabbed the door handle and entered, his heartbeat loud like a gong.

Levi was sitting in his armchair, Eren was at his feet on the ground, leaning his back next to Levi’s legs; his eyes were reddish and so were his cheeks, and Jean noticed that his breathing was uneven. When Jean came in, Eren’s head shot up, even though he must have known that Levi called for Jean to get there as soon as possible.

“Sit.” Levi gestured to the other chair that was in the room. Jean followed the order reluctantly; the chair was at a comfortable distance, but he knew that no distance could actually keep him safe, should Levi decide to kill him – Levi’s expression was indeed giving off such a feeling.

For a few excruciatingly long seconds, Levi kept silent, he just watched Jean with eyes narrowed. “I’ve decided,” he said in the end, “to give you an important task. It’s a difficult one, though, and I need you to be motivated.” He paused, and although Jean thought it was impossible for Levi to look any more unhappy, he witnessed the miracle of Levi’s face getting a few levels more murderous. “That’s why, you’ll get a reward if you do well.” Levi gently patted Eren’s head.

“A reward?” Jean asked hesitantly, although he had already a pretty good idea of what Levi was getting at.

“Yes,” Jean was trying hard to ignore the fact that Levi kept on petting Eren’s hair and neck, “I’m going to let the two of you… have fun together. Occasionally. If you perform well. It’s vital you understand the importance of the task at hand. Are you listening?”

“I am.” The longer he was facing Levi’s cold glare, the worse Jean felt, but he was doing his damnedest to stay calm. He didn’t know what it was about that guy, but if looks could kill, he would most likely be no longer breathing.

“You are going to go with Hange to obtain a certain substance. We don’t have enough financial means to buy it – which should give you an idea of its rarity – but we need it. Hange knows the way and the details, all you need to do is to keep an eye out for any danger coming your way.”

“What… sort of substance?”

“That’s none of your business. You aren’t even going to see it.” Levi tilted his head. “But since you seem concerned – no. We are not going to sell drugs or some shit like that.”

“I wasn’t thinking that!” Jean’s face turned reddish, as he blurted out an obvious lie.

“Is that so.” Levi’s voice was completely uncaring. When he saw that Jean was going to try and ask again, he sighed, rubbing his temple. “See here. You know how I always have Hange do Eren’s medical check-ups?”

“Y-Yeah?” Jean responded, unsure what that had to do with his task.

“Eren has a… special condition. The drug is something that Hange needs to make medicine for him. We still have some left, but we’re almost out and if we don’t get some soon, well…” Levi’s expression, although it was not a smile, had a hint of some twisted, dark amusement. “I’d rather avoid that.”

“Is his life in danger?” Jean’s voice shook slightly.

“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Eren protested, but was cut off by Levi’s thumb being forced into his mouth.

“Shut up, brat. You know best that this is no joke.” Levi turned his attention to Jean again. “His life? No. But ours are.”

“What do you mean?!” Jean wanted to know. With each question Levi answered, a new one appeared, even more worrisome than the previous. Unfortunately, though, the boss was clearly getting fed up with Jean’s curiosity. “Exactly what I said. I was going to give you the details, but I’ll have Hange do it. Now get out.”

Jean grit his teeth, then he got up and in three long strides he stood in front of Eren. With Levi’s thumb still in Eren’s mouth, he couldn’t kiss him on the lips, but he settled for a peck on the forehead – partly to make both himself and Eren feel a little better, partly to spite Levi. “When?” he then looked into Levi’s face.

“Preferably tonight. Now, fuck off.” Mission accomplished. Levi’s face darkened, as he said those words. Jean backed away, and when he turned his back to Levi, he allowed himself a small smirk. He knew that something minor like this annoyed the boss, but it alone was not enough for another punishment. Levi wasn’t a good man, generally speaking – however, he was a man who stood by his principles, and it was not his policy to fight people over small things.

Having left the room, Jean rested his forehead on the cool wall and sighed. Sadly, what he did really was something insignificant – it was impossible to doubt Eren’s loyalty to Levi. Even though Eren’s words from earlier reassured him, even though their feelings were clearly mutual, knowing that Eren would still willingly do all sorts of things with the boss.

Jean didn’t reproach Eren for it. Despite feeling terrible about the entire thing, he kept silent, because somehow he figured that even if he tried saying anything, his words would either miss the mark, or hurt Eren, and he wanted to avoid that at any cost. In the first place, he started being more aware of Eren because many times, he got an eyeful of scenes that nobody should see, scenes that caused him to feel sorry for Eren. Levi didn’t care much about being seen, it seemed – but Eren was visibly ashamed, even though he never even attempted to refuse.

Jean could clearly see that Levi was not treating Eren right, and there was no way he’d want to repeat his rival’s mistakes.

To see something like that was freaking him out in the beginning. Eren, disregarding his own feelings of humiliation, would suck Levi off while the boss was listening to Jean’s reports on his progress. Every time, Jean was weirded out, uncomfortable and he wanted to leave. Except, somehow, over time, a new feeling appeared, apart of the inevitable pity – the feeling of attraction. He made sure to confess to Eren on a day when Levi was gone for whatever reason, but it took Eren about a month and a half to give Jean a reply.

It was a half-assed one, but all things considered, it made Jean happy nevertheless.

Their first kiss was hesitant and somewhat clumsy; it then occurred to Jean that perhaps Levi and Eren didn’t kiss much, if at all. He hadn’t seen them doing that, anyway. It was a thought that made him much happier than it should have.

With each moment they managed to steal for themselves, Jean’s feelings grew deeper and larger. It was almost laughable – the two of them would sit together in the room, holding hands or kissing, and neither of them was brave enough to take a step further. Jean was inexperienced, and Eren, despite being used to such matters due to Levi’s habits, was surprisingly shy at first.

Sometimes they would bicker, sometimes they would sit leaning their backs on one another and chat mindlessly about silly things to no end. Some days, it involved their fingers being entwined – other days not.

For a long time, they kept their relationship innocent. It was only after Eren urged Jean to do more that they did some touching. The time Levi came in to discover them in flagrante delicto was the first time Jean thought of putting it in.

And that didn’t happen.

Mostly because of Eren’s impatience, but Jean couldn’t help feeling guilty. Possibly because he saw himself as the more responsible one from the two. Eren was impulsive and often he’d say or do things he’d regret later, and Jean wanted to protect him even more because of this.

That role, however, was already occupied by that demon. Levi was in the way of Jean’s and Eren’s feelings; he’d always been, but now that he knew, he was obstructing them consciously.

“Ahhhhh… shit.” Jean turned around and sild his back down the wall to sit on the ground. It came to him as no surprise that Levi did not approve of what they had. However, now that Levi had the talk with Jean and even dropped the ‘reward’ bomb, Jean couldn’t but wonder just what sort of condition Eren had for Levi to be willing to let the two of them anywhere close each other. Indubitably, Hange would have the answers, but he highly doubted that the boss’s right hand would even think of sharing any sort of information with him. Not unless Levi approved of that, in any case.

Glancing at the door of the room he just left, he bit his lip. Although he wouldn’t expect Levi to be doing it with Eren every time Jean stopped looking, he had no idea what was going on in there and the simple fact that he couldn’t hear anything coming from inside was extremely unsettling. If he heard moans or cries or something, he would _know_ and he’d storm in for the brief moment of heroism, after which he’d get punished with something much worse than having to watch Eren suck Levi off again. Just that would surely not be enough. It was not unlikely he’d hurt Eren physically in the process, too, but… the silence. The silence, not knowing what was going on behind that door, it had him on pins and needles. He never believed that ‘ignorance is bliss’; if anything, he was more inclined to think the polar opposite. What wouldn’t he give in exchange for knowing? And more importantly, what wouldn’t he give in exchange for Eren himself?

“Shit.”

Come to think of it, had he ever seen the two of them doing other stuff? He couldn’t recall. Even though it was unlikely that Levi would only have Eren suck his dick, Jean was almost sure he never walked in on them… how did Levi describe it again? … _getting it on_. Of course, he never intended to ask in the first place. It would be weird for Levi not to hold Eren, though – Eren was unbelievably sexy; no matter how much Jean hated the thought, to not hold him would be such a waste.

“Jean? Why are you here? I was looking for you in your room.”

Hearing Hange’s voice, Jean looked up. He didn’t say a word, though, he just waited for them to come closer. It was unclear to him whether Hange was a man or a woman, but he didn’t care much. Not at this point, in the very least.

“Levi told you, right?” they stopped in front of Jean. “We’re leaving soon.”

“Why didn’t you tell me yourself?”

“I had to get some things we’re going to need.” Hange reached out to Jean to help him to his feet. “And Levi was not busy at the moment. The less time wasted, the better.”

Jean didn’t take Hange’s hand. It was a bit of a dick move, but he didn’t want to; instead, he got up on his own and dusted his trousers. “So?” he said.

Hange eyed Jean quietly. “Well, after you change into something darker, come down. I’ll be waiting in the car.”

* * *

“You’ve been oddly quiet for some time now.”

“What’s odd about that?” Jean turned his face towards Hange; he’d been looking out of the window.

“Well, I kind of expected you to be bombarding me with questions.” Hange glanced at Jean. “It would be understandable, anyway.”

“And would you actually answer if I asked?” Jean scoffed and turned to stare into the darkess outside again.

“That depends on what kind of questions those would be. I can try, though. You don’t have to put so little trust in me, you know. That you hate Levi is one thing, but I haven’t done anything to make you dislike me, have I?”

“Not particularly, no.” Silence again; Jean was not in the mood to talk, but Hange wasn’t having that.

“While I can’t blame you for hating Levi… Have you ever stopped to think why he does what he does?” they asked after a while.

“What do you…?” Jean hesitated.

“Why he treats Eren the way he does. That’s the reason you dislike him in the first place, right?” there was a chuckle from Hange’s side.

“How mu—” Jean’s words suddenly got stuck in his throat. “How much do you know?”

“For instance,” Hange’s voice got slightly quieter, “that you two have been meeting behind Levi’s back. That you two haven’t quite done as much as either of you would like. That Levi found out about you. And such.”

“Why?” the boy couldn’t bring himself to say anything else; his throat was clenched and he felt sick. How many people actually knew, then, aside from Armin and Hange? Were they so obvious?

“Eren told me. He has to tell me everything, you know? I’m his doctor, after all. But,” Hange paused briefly, “since I’m a doctor, I know how to handle private information. I haven’t told Levi, or anyone else. Eren was really cute when he was telling me about you.”

“Right, you’re his doctor,” Jean murmured. This was something he hadn’t intended to talk about with anyone, let alone Hange, whom he rarely spoke with up until this point. “Since you know about all of this…” his fists clenched, as he started speaking with haste and eyes downcast, “… what’s this ‘condition’ Levi mentioned?”

“Ah… if Eren hasn’t told you himself, how could I possibly do that?” Hange shook their head dismissively. “It’s the reason you’re here with me now… though you already knew that.”

“Is… is it dang—” Jean stopped himself. It most likely was, otherwise neither Levi not Hange would act like this. “Is there a cure?” he asked instead.

“Not a permanent one,” Hange responded after giving it a thought, “although to call it a _cure_ is a little off the mark.”

“I don’t… get what you mean.”

“Well. You’re going to understand sooner or later.” The car stopped abruptly. “We’re here,” Hange announced as they turned the engine off.

Jean glanced out of the window. They were in the forest, far from any lights, and there were no buildings in sight, either. They’ve even left the road and were just kind of in the middle of nowhere. “Are you sure? There’s nothing out there.”

“Sure looks like it, right?” Hange chuckled. “Here, take this. Hopefully, you won’t have to use it, but…”Jean’s fingers met with the coolness of metal.

“That—!” Jean raised his voice, but was muffled by Hange’s quickly moved hand. “That’s a gun!” he then continued in a whisper once Hange let go.

“You’ve never used one of those?”

“When would I _ever_ —”

“Right, right. My bad. Give that back.” Hange patted his shoulder – perhaps to calm him down a little. “I’ll just have you stand guard without it, then. This,” something heavy clicked around Jean’s wrist, “is an alarm. If you notice anybody nearby, press this. And, of course, avoid being seen. I was considering going for walkie-talkies, but sounds are dangerous. Nobody should be there at this hour, but we can never be sure of that. Also… this one,” Hange lightly tapped a different button, “is for when you get caught. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen, though. I have the same one; if you press that, it lights up dimly. Enough for me to notice. Don’t mix them up, okay? And if it happens the other way around… if yours lights up, _run._ Run and hide. Don’t get caught. Got it?”

“What is this place?” Jean asked, his suspicion growing.

“Oh, just a lab. Not one that would let visitors in, though.”

In the dark, Jean couldn’t see it well, but was almost sure Hange was smiling. “Just a lab?” he repeated.

“My former workplace. Due to certain circumstances, it’s impossible for them to relocate, and they’re forced to carry out their research right here. That also makes them an easy target for me, but…” there was a pause, “they should be elsewhere right now. Almost all of them. I have an accomplice in there, though, so it should be fine.”

Jean decided to not ask just how could Hange possibly know such a thing. “If either of us gets caught, what happens?” he wanted to know instead.

“The other runs away and avoids being caught as well. If that happens to me, you need to report to Levi, of course. As soon as possible.”

“I don’t know the way!” Jean blurted out. “And… and if that happened to me, Levi wouldn’t care, he’d just leave me to my fate!”

“Shh. Calm down.” Hange placed their hand over Jean’s mouth again. “I promise to you that I won’t let that happen, okay? If anything, your disappearance would make Eren incredibly sad, and I want my patient to be happy, so… think of who you’re really doing this for, okay? If everything works out, I’ll meet you at your post.”

“Right.”

With that, they made their way into the night. Jean followed closely after Hange until they gestured for him to stop. Vaguely, against the trees, Jean noticed an outline of a building. “Wait here and keep an eye out,” Hange’s words were barely audible.

Jean nodded and sat down, leaning onto a tree trunk. Hange covered their face with a scarf and disappeared in the shadows.

With his heartbeat at an alarming rate, Jean sat there motionlessly. Although it was cold outside, he was sweating; his breathing was shallow and uneven. He couldn’t calm down. Hange hadn’t really said anything concrete about the consequences of getting caught, but if Jean could gather anything from the obvious way Hange was avoiding the matter, it was nothing to look forward to.

His ears, straining to the very limit of their potential, started to hurt very soon. He could hear his heartbeat. There was nothing moving around, the night was windless and silent, and he was sure he’d notice if anybody passed by. His hand was clutching the alarm bracelet given by Hange, and as he was glancing around frantically without moving his head, he knew that every passing minute is going to get worse and worse.

Trying to guess how much time has passed by the position of the moon against the trees has proven to be futile.

The shadows cast by moonlight moved more than a little by the time he heard footsteps.

He knew it was most definitely not Hange. Hange said themselves that it was crucial to keep absolutely silent, there was no way it would be them – especially with footsteps this heavy. To make matters worse, when Jean turned his head slowly to look in that direction, he noticed a flashlight. That person was coming roughly from the direction they’ve left their car at.

Swallowing hard, Jean with shaking fingers found the button Hange said to press if there were anyone nearby. The man, whoever that was, didn’t seem to notice him, but he was going straight to the building. Surely, if Jean had a walkie-talkie, he would be heard if he used it now.

Having pressed the button, he stayed completely still while the man walked by, not ten steps from Jean’s tree. Thankfully, he did not look in Jean’s direction.

His initial instinct was to move away from that spot the moment he thought he was safe. Still, against his better judgement, he decided to follow Hange’s orders and stand his ground. The man’s flashlight kept on moving towards the building, and Jean obediently waited.

Minutes passed by, and the forest was still.

Suddenly, he sensed a motion behind him, but before he could turn around, a cold hand pressed on his mouth to keep him silent. He inhaled sharply, but his body locked up from the shock and he couldn’t move.

“It’s me,” Hange whispered.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” Jean hissed, getting up.

“Oh, don’t be like that. Come on, let’s book it.” Hange urged Jean to move.

“Do you have what we came for?”

“Yeah. We’re good – as long as we hurry up. I passed by the guy you’ve warned me about, we need to go. Quick. He’s not an idiot.”

In a rush, they got back to the car. Only there, once Jean wasn’t concerned about the danger that could have been closing in on them, he noticed that Hange was carrying a small briefcase they didn’t have before. Without a doubt, whatever they came for was inside.

“Buckle up,” Hange sat down and grinned. “If they’re gonna chase us, we need to have a head start.”

Jean closed his eyes. After that time he nearly crapped his pants _twice_ , all he wanted now was to get back already.


	3. Thou pay for your foolishness as I pay for my sins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Merry Christmas (orwhateveryoucelebrate). Consider this a present. Planned to update all of my FFs, only managed to update two. Oh well.

“What are you staring at? Cat got your tongue?” Levi’s stare was freezing Jean in place. “Spit it out already. You came here for something, right?”

“Before that…” Jean hesitated, “can you please stop that?”

“Stop what? I’m not doing anything.” Levi leaned back in his chair, and if Jean could tell correctly, the boss was now sporting a smug and perhaps a slightly amused expression. On the ground at his feet, there was Eren lying on his back. Stark naked, with cheeks flushed, lips parted as he was panting hard, eyes screwed tightly shut, his own fingers up his ass. The boy was hard, leaking all over his abdomen, his muscles twitching underneath the smooth curves of his glistening skin. Seeing this was pure agony; Jean ached to run his hands down Eren’s sides, ached to hold him close and kiss him gently.

“He wouldn’t be doing that if it weren’t for you,” Jean growled, his fists clenching. “You told him to do it.”

“What do _you_ know,” Levi huffed, his eyebrow cocking. “I believe we’ve already established that whatever he and I do together is _none_ of your concern.”

Jean pursed his lips, fighting back the tears of anger that yet again threatened to well up in his eyes. “Why do you have to be like that?!” he exclaimed, taking a firm step towards them, but he stopped in his stride when he saw Levi’s greyish eyes turn steel cold.

He wasn’t allowed to. Yet, anyway. Levi did promise a reward, but in retrospect, Jean felt ashamed for having jumped the bait like that. Clearly, it was disrespectful to Eren. Also, it bit off a giant chunk of Jean’s own pride. To bow his head to his rival was something that hurt every time he had to do so, and this time, he even got fooled into dancing to Levi’s tune like an idiot.

Clenching his teeth, he decided to quickly get on with the talking before seeing Eren playing with himself for Levi’s enjoyment was to become unbearable. “Hange wants me to assist in the lab. I was told to come here and ask for your permission.”

“Did she now?” Levi raised his eyebrow. To add to Jean’s frustration, he was completely unfazed by what was going on at his feet. From what Jean could see, the boss didn’t even react. _Down there_. Jean himself was starting to experience gradually increasing discomfort, because no matter what, he couldn’t tear his eyes away from the panting mess display in front of him. Levi, however, was sitting in a relaxed position and the front of his trousers was not giving off any signs of arousal.

“H-Hange is a she?” That question fell from Jean’s lips before he could stop himself.

“You’re an idiot,” Levi stated, shaking his head in apparent disapproval, “which is why I am particularly worried about you helping in the lab. What could you possibly be useful for? I’d rather have you stay my errand boy. You’re good at that.”

“I don’t know, I haven’t asked,” Jean admitted, his face still reddish as he blushed in embarrassment moments prior.

“As a lab rat, perhaps?” Levi said thoughtfully. As if to add to Jean’s bitterness, he turned his gaze towards Eren. “When did she decide?”

“Last night, on our way back. S-She said I was good at listening to orders, so—”

“That’s certainly news to me,” Levi got up abruptly, stepping over the squirming Eren with ostentatious ignorance. “You’ve got the nerve to say something like that?” he stopped in front of Jean, glaring him up in the eye.

“I’m—” Jean was determined to not back down. “I’m just repeating what I was told. And besides, I’ve never disobeyed your orders. Not once. I’ve always followed them, without fail.”

Levi stared him down for a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. “So you have,” he replied eventually. “Well done. Since you stood up for yourself, I can acknowledge that.” Taking a step back, he turned away and leaned down to Eren to help him to his feet.

Dumbstruck, Jean didn’t know what to say. He was sure Levi had no intention of changing his attitude towards anyone, and as far as Jean was concerned, Levi had been nothing but a giant pain in the ass – which, considering his height, was quite the accomplishment. Perhaps it was because Jean got praised by Hange, but Levi seemed to have less of an edge than usual. That is to say, he was still unpleasant, but for once, he wasn’t straight-up murderous.

“Come here,” the boss sat back down and waved him over. Cautiously, Jean took a few steps, steps which lacked the strength and resolve he had moments prior.

“I told you I’d reward you, right?” the pair of greyish orbs gleamed in Levi’s face. “Eren’s all hot and bothered, it’s a perfect moment to give you what you’ve earned.”

Jean stepped towards Eren, but hesitated upon a sudden realisation. At that moment, everything became as clear as a bright summer day’s sky – if Levi were to let Eren and Jean touch one another, he was also going to stay and watch. Gritting his teeth, Jean looked at his toes. So unfair. He stood there frozen, unable to bring himself to come any closer.

“Don’t you want me?” Eren spoke for the first time since Jean’s arrival. His voice was slightly shaky and saddened, as though even the brief moment of hesitation on Jean’s part were already a betrayal.

“I do! I _want_ to have you, but… _alone._ ” Jean glared at Levi, who, if anything, seemed amused. “Not with him anywhere near us.”

“Oh… I guess that’s true…” Eren glanced down as well. For a few moments, nobody said a word – then, Eren yelped in surprise when Levi pulled him down onto his lap. Levi’s left arm held Eren ‘round his waist tightly, as he reached down with his right hand and grabbed Eren under one knee, lifting it up before sliding down the boy’s inner thigh to his crotch.

“Wait, Le—!” Eren attempted to turn his head to look at Levi and protest. Verbally only. He didn’t struggle, and that kind of hurt to see, although Jean, of course, already knew what to expect. Levi gave Eren’s dick a squeeze and his fingers moved a little lower; Eren clenched his teeth and closed his eyes, as Levi’s tongue tickled his nape.

“If you don’t want to, I’ll help myself to this meal instead,” his eye pierced Jean from behind Eren’s shoulder. As though in response to those words, Eren whimpered quietly.

“Argh, dammit,” Jean jumped closer and fell to his knees in front of the exposed Eren. His shaking hands reached out to touch the sweaty, pallid skin of the one he loved. Gently and carefully, he caressed Eren’s lower stomach, thighs, then legs in all their length. In a strong moral dilemma, he reached to touch Eren’s erection which hadn’t quite had the time to go down, while his other hand went hesitantly past Eren’s balls to the back.

He jerked his hand away when his fingers met at that place with Levi’s.

Levi stared down at him mockingly as their gazes collided.

That bastard was actually _challenging_ Jean.

Pursing his lips, the boy licked his digits and while apologising to Eren in his mind for being childishly possessive, he pushed them inside slowly. Desperately ignoring another man’s touch, he glanced up at Eren.

Eren was looking at Jean with cheeks flushed, his downcast eyes feverishly glazed. He was biting his knuckle, and his breathing was ragged. Jean’s heart started beating much faster than it already was. He wanted to see more of Eren’s expressions. When they were meeting before, it wasn’t anywhere this intense.

Swallowing hard, he looked at the penis in his hand. Like in a trance, his mouth opened and he slowly licked up the wet shaft. Briefly, he thought that the taste of Eren’s precum was surprisingly different from when he tried tasting his own.

“Jean—!” Eren’s hand brushed Jean’s hair lightly, and Jean could feel his face heat up. Hungrily, he opened his mouth to take Eren in. Having no experience in this whatsoever, he soon found out that his gag reflex wouldn’t let him go too deep; compensating with his hand what his mouth couldn’t manage, he continued desperately with a single goal in his mind – to make Eren come.

It made him happy to see how much Eren reacted – especially when he pushed his fingers deeper in; Eren’s abdomen muscles convulsed, his dick twitched in Jean’s mouth and he let out a strained moan. Clearly, he was holding his voice back; sadly, because even though he might have been embarrassed, Jean still wanted to hear it. It then dawned on Jean that Eren’s body probably wasn’t getting enough love, because more than gentle caresses, Levi seemed to go for one-sided pleasure. That was why, although Jean’s skills certainly were not great, Eren seemed to be enjoying it a lot.

Levi’s hand was no longer between Eren’s legs – it was merely holding Eren’s leg up, while the other hand was now lightly scratching up and down Eren’s chest. Now and then, his fingernail would leave a reddish trace on Eren’s skin, eliciting a shudder each time it happened. While Jean was glad to know that Levi’s hand was now the fuck out of the damn way, he was also realising that with Levi present, Eren could not be fully his.

Even though he was so close, so tantalizingly close to Eren, he was aware that there had to come a point when Levi would shove him away. Thankfully, from his position, this regrettably brief moment of delight was not being ruined by the sight of Levi’s face, as that was hidden behind Eren’s back.

With his hands fully occupied, he couldn’t loosen the tightness in his front, although he very much wished to.

“Jean,” Eren breathed his name out shakily, cupping Jean’s cheek with his palm gently as he locked his eyes with Jean. Not only his expression, but his entire body seemed to be asking for more.

Tantamount to a blindfolded man climbing down an iceberg, not minding the danger, Jean let go of Eren briefly, and getting up, he pulled the body of his beloved into his arms, hugging him closely whilst giving Levi a hateful glare. It was unclear whether Levi was surprised; he instantly let go nevertheless, his eyes narrowing as he stared Jean down for a few moments.

“Go on,” he said then with a sneer. “I’ll watch.”

Gritting his teeth, Jean looked at Eren, who was clinging to him, shaking uncontrollably. “Jean,” he cried in a sweet voice which was like a stab to the heart. “Touch me more. I want you to touch me.”

With Eren seducing him desperately and Levi challenging him, Jean was in a tight spot.

“Argh, damn you.” Furrowing his brows, Jean placed an angry, but passionate kiss on Eren’s lips. In the corner of his eye, he noticed that Levi visibly recoiled. Could it be that he hated kissing? Or was it that this was a post-fellatio kiss? Well, he _was_ known to be obsessed with cleanliness.

Jean’s brain was getting muddled, he didn’t want to think about Levi anymore. Instead, he sat down on the ground with Eren in his lap, and proceeded to jerk him off while never breaking the contact of their lips. Eren complied happily, throwing his arms around Jean’s neck and closing his eyes, not repulsed by the taste of his own cock in the slightest. Eventually, though, he reached down to stop Jean’s hand.

“I want more than this,” he breathed out heavily against Jean’s lips, bringing that hand to his behind. Jean’s face, already flushed, got even redder upon feeling the wetness under his fingertips. Of course, he, too, wanted this. Very much so. If Eren was so eager, there was no need to refuse.

“What do you want, then?” Jean teased, although he knew far too well.

“Stop being an ass and gimme your dick,” both of Eren’s hands shot down to Jean’s belt and started unbuckling it. “I want you in me.”

“Couldn’t you say it in a cuter way?” Jean pouted, but let Eren free the raging hard-on he’d been sporting for the past hour or so. Watching the guy he liked licking it with an expression of absolute delight, he almost grabbed Eren’s head and shoved his cock in Eren’s mouth… but he restrained himself and just let Eren do whatever.

The other got on top of him, and while looking in Jean’s eyes, he bit his lower lip and slowly went down on his dick with a silent moan. For a moment, he remained unmoving, his entire body shivering slightly, and all he could do was gasp for breath. “Gimme a… min…” he clutched Jean’s shoulders, and Jean, who could only stare at such a stunning sight, just nodded, swallowing hard.

Eren was tight and wet, and even though he wasn’t moving yet, his hard-on looked like he was about to burst. It was twitching on its own and there was an abundance of precum running down his skin. His pallid skin was flushed in a bright shade of pink, his lips parted with each pant.

“I’m ‘nna move,” Jean grabbed Eren’s hips in the end, since he started getting impatient. Eren didn’t protest; on the contrary, he reached out to Jean and hugged him closely. Although it was kind of hard to move that way at first, he soon figured it out and rocked his hips in accordance with Jean’s movement.

Although Jean barely knew what he was doing, it appeared to be working out well somehow. It pissed him off, though, to see how used to this Eren seemed. Just how much did the two of them do together?!

“Jean,” Eren breathed out. “Deeper, come on,” he begged, staring into Jean’s face passionately. Jean growled and slammed Eren’s ass down, shoving it in up to the hilt. Eren’s voice echoed through the room loudly and his back arched up. Jean grabbed Eren’s twitching cock and moved his hand quickly.

But it was in vain. Although Eren looked like he should reach his peak any second, he just wouldn’t. Their eyes met again and Jean felt horror gnaw at his bones when he saw the utter confusion on Eren’s face. Eren also didn’t know why it was that way, that much Jean could tell.

In no way would he expect something like this. Even though his skill was bound to be inferior to Levi’s, he didn’t think they would come across such an obstacle.

Then, Eren turned his head and shot a helpless glance towards Levi, who hadn’t moved from his chair. Because of that, Jean looked at the boss too; he’d actually forgotten that Levi was present. When he turned that way, he caught a glimpse of Levi smirking. The boss made a gesture an emperor wouldn’t be hesitant to use.

“Cum, Eren,” Levi’s husky, saccharine voice fell on their ears. Eren cried out and came, staining Jean’s shirt with his semen. His eyes filled with tears and as soon as the pleasure high worn off. Pulling Jean out, he backed away until he hit Levi’s leg with his back; he was looking at Jean with face full of guilt.

For a while, neither of them said anything. In the end, Jean, who had already gone flaccid due to shock and Levi’s interference, got up awkwardly and fixed his front. When he looked at them and was about to say something, he got cut off before he managed to do so.

 “You thought you could have him just like that? Don’t make me laugh. You’re a thousand years early,” Levi said derisively, grabbing Eren under the chin. “This little doggy obeys my every command. He’s trained to not cum without my permission. Isn’t that right, Eren?”

Eren whimpered, not looking either of them in the face.

With a wry expression, Jean took his cum-stained shirt off and glared at his rival, his now bare chest raising and falling in anger.

“Don’t let me hold you up,” Levi wasn’t even looking at him; again, he was focusing on Eren – this time, wiping his tears. And Eren, as usual, did not say a single word of objection or protest against Levi’s actions. He just sat there lifelessly, letting Levi rub his face.

Taking a shaky breath, Jean turned away and left, slamming the door shut behind himself.

He knew that Levi was an adroit manipulator and his was a foul game, but he just couldn’t help himself. He wanted Eren in every way possible, and for that, he was willing to do anything. He also knew that Levi was aware of this weakness, and was most likely not hesitant to use it whenever he felt like it.

Gritting his teeth, he made his way towards Hange’s lab. After all, despite everything, he still had a message to deliver.


	4. Playing with fire and scattering the ashes

“I really, _really_ don’t want it. Jean, _please_.” Eren was pressing his back against the wall, eyes open wide, discomfort and fright showing in his expression. Jean sighed heavily. He didn’t want to do it either, but it was not like he had any choice in that matter.

“Shut up, brat,” Levi looked up from his desk, laying down the pen he was holding – with an audible click. “Clench your teeth and take it like a man. Or would you rather go for the alternative?” he enquired, both his tone and his gaze suddenly ominous.

Eren’s eyes widened more and he shook his head quickly, curling up even more. Even so, he wouldn’t stop staring at the needle Jean was holding. It was filled with transparent, colourless liquid and its tip was unsteady; Jean’s hand was trembling, no matter how desperately he was trying to keep it still.

Hange told Jean she was busy and entrusted him with this. “An easy task,” she said, “you’ll be done with it in no time. Come back after that, I need a second pair of hands.” A small metal case was given to him, and he was sent here. He had no idea Eren was afraid of needles. Although Jean could hardly blame him, it was making the situation much more complicated. After all, he didn’t want to do anything Eren would dislike. That was Levi’s turf – and unsafe grounds Jean did not desire to tread upon.

Easy task? _Easy task?! Seriously?!_ Swallowing hard, he eyed Eren from head to toe. Moving a tiny bit nearer, he hesitated when his hand shook more than before. Maybe… maybe this was Levi’s plan? Maybe first he tried to get rid of him by sending him into that dangerous territory, and when that failed, he was hoping that by making Jean hurt Eren, they’d…

No.

If Levi wanted to get rid of Jean, he would have done that himself in the first place. He never cared if his hands got dirty – he’d wash the blood off afterwards and that would be the end of it. Jean knew that much. Levi would not bat a lash if Jean died… but he wouldn’t hesitate to kill him if he deemed Jean unneeded.

Having fought off a small portion of the mistrust he felt, upon glancing down at his hands, the boy bit his lip nervously.

He wasn’t trembling because he was scared. His hand wouldn’t keep still because the longer this went on, the worse he felt. Hange told him that this was supposed to help Eren with his… condition, whatever that was, but looking at Eren’s terrified face, Jean doubted everyone and everything.

“Hurry up,” Levi looked up again. “It’s getting annoying.”

“What…” Jean cleared his throat, hesitating briefly, “what is the… _alternative_ you mentioned?” From Eren’s behaviour, he wouldn’t be surprised if Levi meant something horrible. Like euthanasia. Just the thought made his throat clench. No way. No way in hell. If it were to come to that, he’d rather…

He’d rather do what? What would he do? What _could_ he do? There was no escaping Levi.

“You don’t need to know. Eren, of course, knows. But it doesn’t matter to you, since it won’t come to that… because you _will_ convince him to cooperate, Kirstein.” Levi’s response was dismissive and left no room for retorts.

Pursing his lips, Jean looked at Eren. “Does… does this,” at a safe distance, he gestured around the needle with the index finger of the other hand, “ _really_ help you?”

Levi on the opposite side of the room clicked his tongue. “I wouldn’t be so insistent on it if it didn’t,” he said coldly, “and you should not be doubting me. For your own good, and for Eren’s.”

Jean blatantly ignored Levi’s remark and focused on Eren, who, albeit reluctantly, eventually nodded. And so, Jean braced himself internally again and scooted closer to the unwilling boy.

“Where…” he started, and Eren offered his forearm, closing his eyes. Although Jean partly expected to see marks from previous injections there, the limb he was holding was pristine white. Biting his lip, he thumbed over the soft skin. Eren was tense and shivering, and though it would be best for him to relax, Jean figured it would be pointless to tell him that.

Jean eyed the needle and let a few drops of the liquid out to make sure there’s no air in there. “Uuu…” Eren whimpered when the needle pierced his skin. Jean slowly and carefully pressed his thumb down to push the medicine out. Hange explained this in detail, and thankfully, there was not much for him to fuck up. Still, he could feel himself breaking out in cold sweat.

“There, all done,” he muttered after what seemed like centuries, finally looking at Eren.

He just barely managed to put the needle away before getting jumped. Eren hugged him tightly, his body still shaking uncontrollably. Jean soothingly patted his back. “Shh. It’s okay now.”

“Jean,” Eren’s voice was desperate, “kiss me, you stupid, horse-faced idiot.”

Jean, somewhat glad that Eren didn’t seem too agitated, complied; it wasn’t the sort of kiss that would make their heartbeat quicken and send their world spinning. It was soft and gentle, much like those they’d give each other at their beginning. Jean was embracing Eren reassuringly, hoping that the fact he was the one to give him the injection didn’t scar their relationship too much.

Suddenly, the door flung open.

“Levi!” A tall man of blond hair and broad shoulders whom Jean had never seen before stormed in without any kind of greeting, slamming his palms on Levi’s desk loudly. He was much taller than Levi, alarmingly almost.

“… Erwin. What is it?” Levi, although disturbed from his work, did not seem surprised nor upset; there was a great deal of indifference in his voice. It was Jean who was surprised – he’d never seen anyone who didn’t belong to this cursed house of nightmares to be on first-name basis with Levi. In fact, nobody but Hange and Eren ever called Levi by his first name. Jean would never dare, and he was sure the others felt the same. Except for Mikasa, perhaps, but they were related, so Jean could understand why. Nevertheless, this Erwin guy and Levi clearly had some sort of history together. What kind of history, Jean had a vague feeling he was better off not knowing.

“Like you don’t know,” Erwin’s eyes gleamed with anger. “I thought I told you what’s going to happen if you keep stealing from us.” He glanced over the room, and his gaze stopped on Jean and Eren in the corner. Eren was no longer hugging Jean; when Erwin entered, he freed himself from Jean’s arms and now was watching the unexpected visitor cautiously.

“I’d like to see you try,” both Levi’s expression and voice were indifferent. “Isn’t it just empty threats at the end of the day?”

Erwin’s face darkened and he leaned so close his nose almost touched Levi’s. “Do you have any idea just how much of a setback this was?” he growled.

“No,” Levi shrugged his shoulders. “I’m not a scientist.” He glanced towards Eren and Erwin did not fail to follow the direction of his gaze.

“You,” he grabbed Levi under the collar, pulling him out of his chair, “you still keep that thing?”

Jean, slightly bemused at the abrupt change of topic, held his breath briefly. _That thing_? Did he… could he possibly have meant Eren? He glanced at the boy in question; Eren was staring at Erwin, his glare clearly showing hostility. The otherwise so attractive face was now changed, animalistic almost.

“Yeah, so?” Levi’s hand grabbed Erwin’s wrist and he pulled his hand away, then straightened his clothes.

“It’s dangerous! If it goes amok… if it escapes into the streets… you can’t imagine the consequences.” Although a little calmer, Erwin was still speaking unhappily.

“You don’t have to worry about that,” Levi made his way around the desk towards Erwin. “He does what I tell him to. And he’s chained up as well.”

Jean, although unhappy about that statement, noticed that Levi had at least enough decency to not call Eren ‘it’, like that Erwin guy did. He also noticed he was being blatantly ignored.

“Why is it almost naked?” Erwin pulled a long face as he glanced sideways to look at Eren. Seeing the unkind expression the boy was not bothering to hide, he frowned again, turning to Levi once more. “If you’re going to keep that creature this way, at least make it wear something.”

“I prefer him with nothing on, though.” With something that could have been either a slight unreadable smile, or the deceit of shadows on his face, Levi looked up into Erwin’s face.

“That’s perverse.” Erwin’s upper lip twitched in disgust.

“You’ve never seemed unhappy about that before.” Levi folded his arms on his chest, and now his smile was clearer than ever – but it was not a pleasant one. His eyes sang of death.

“Levi.” Before Jean could comprehend what was happening, Erwin pushed the boss backwards onto the desk; up until this moment, Jean had never seen anybody so much as touch Levi against his will and _live_. “Come back with me,” Erwin demanded, staring Levi dead in the eye.

“I’m gonna pass,” Levi said, and although there was no discomfort in his voice, Jean thought there definitely should have been, because despite Levi’s back being pressed down on the desk, his feet were still on the ground. “So this was your real intention, huh?”

“We need your skills.” Erwin was saying that, but one of his hands was simultaneously unbuckling Levi’s belt.

“Yeah right,” Levi scoffed, “and you have the gall to say that while doing something like this?”

“Well, not like you are resisting,” Erwin’s hand slid into Levi’s underwear. “Not like you’d ever complained back then, too.”

There was a deep, bestial growl from Jean’s side, but when he looked to see what was going on, Eren was already in the air. A thought that a human shouldn’t be able to jump that far crossed Jean’s mind.

Erwin got tackled onto the floor with Eren looming over him. He struggled, but the much smaller and lighter boy didn’t budge at all; letting out another deep snarl, Eren opened his mouth to attack Erwin’s unguarded throat. Only by sheer luck did Erwin manage to shift enough for Eren to sink his teeth into his arm instead.

Erwin cried out in pain, attempting to shake Eren off. Vainly. Eren did not let go, although blood started seeping through the cloth of Erwin’s sleeve.

“Kirstein! Get Hange!” Levi commanded, and that snapped the addressed one back to his senses.

“Right,” he breathed out and ran out of the room. Behind his back, since he didn’t even close the door in the hurry he was in, he could hear Levi’s strong, controlling voice telling Eren a firm ‘down’. There was a deep throaty bellow, and Jean did not hear more, as his legs rushed forward without him having to tell them to do so.

 _His eyes._ As he was running through the hallway and up the stairs so fast his feet barely touched the floor, all he could think of… _His eyes._

Eren’s eyes were glowing. He saw it just briefly, but it chilled him to the very core of his bones. They were glowing, with pupils but thin slits going down the middle of the orbs, devoid of the rare gentleness and meekness Jean liked so much, devoid of the playful spark and prideful glint as well. They were fury awakened, condensed hatred. This person was didn’t resemble the Eren Jean learned to know. In fact, for a few frantic heartbeats, he suddenly understood why would Erwin resort to calling Eren ‘it’.

“Hange!” he opened the door in a rush. Hange, who was holding a paper with her complex formulas at the moment, set it down and tilted her head to the side in a questioning manner.

“What is it?”

“E…” Jean tried to catch his breath, leaning onto the door frame. “Er… Eren… attacked… someone came… Erwin?” he wasn’t sure about that man’s name. “Blood…”

“Carry this,” Hange threw a first-aid kit his way. He caught it by reflex, without thinking about it; Hange started picking out some things from the shelves. “Kay,” she shoved them in the pockets of her lab coat. “Let’s go!”

Perplexed and confused, Jean followed Hange back. When they arrived in great haste, Jean stopped at the door upon the scene unfolding in front of him.

“Spit it out. Come on, open your mouth. _Give._ ” Eren was sitting on the ground, knees pulled up to his chest, and there was a rag hanging from between his teeth, stained crimson with liquid the origin of which Jean did not even have to question. His expression was – as opposed to the one Jean saw moments prior – puppy-like, and if it weren’t for the sticky redness smeared over his face, he would appear adorable. Intently, he was watching Levi, who was pointing on the ground while his other hand was palm-up just beneath Eren’s mouth.

Upon Levi’s order, Eren whined, but he let go and the piece of cloth fell into Levi’s hand. “Good.” Levi patted Eren’s head shortly. “Stay.”

Jean finally turned to look at Hange, who was tending to Erwin’s wound without a word. Levi walked over to them, arms once again folded on his chest. “See? I didn’t have to lift a single finger to get you off me,” he said, leaning towards Erwin, who was resting by the wall.

“That’s the first thing you say?” Erwin asked quietly; despite having naught but hostile feelings towards that man, Jean had to admire that his voice did not shake in the least. He was, judging from his pale and tense face, in a lot of pain, but he didn’t let it change the way he spoke. “If I get infected with something from this bite, I’m going to blame you entirely.”

The sleeve on his right arm was torn and Hange was bandaging the injury. Jean couldn’t see Hange’s face from where he stood, so he didn’t know what her opinion was.

“I don’t care what you think,” Levi sat onto his desk, looking down on Erwin – both literally and figuratively. “In the first place, you came here with threats and complaints about the way I do things, you reproach me that I’ve stolen something that is not yours, and you dare to act all righteous, even though all you came here to do was to hunt down my ass. Quite literally, I’d say.”

“What do you mean, _not ours_?” Erwin, although with great difficulty, pushed Hange away and got up on unsteady legs. “What you stole was our creation. We made it, all of it – and you know well how hard it is to get the ingredients.”

“That lab is built right atop the source,” Levi’s tone spelled rejection. “You would never have it without Hange, I’m sure you’re fully aware of that. Plus, your attempts in creating something that wouldn’t be dangerous have proven themselves to be futile. Hange took her research along and perfected it. As you can see, using it on Eren has no side effects.”

“We… we’re progressing as well.” Erwin looked away and Jean wondered if the short pause was due to the pain or due to his realisation that he was beginning to lose the argument.

“We need it more than you do,” Levi continued, ignoring Erwin’s weak attempt to defend himself. “You’re endangering your… _test subjects_ by using an incomplete formula. But since you don’t intend to let them walk freely, you can take your time developing it.”

“Isn’t that cruel?” Jean breathed out. He was somewhat catching on, and though he didn’t quite understand the bigger picture, he could already understand that from what he could see, neither Erwin nor Levi were in the right. If the substance they brought here was imperfect, and the people in the lab were using it on live subjects…

The men either didn’t hear him, or they at least pretended not to, and they stared each other down, neither of them willing to step back. Hange, whose eyes were now fixated on Eren, chuckled quietly. “So sweet,” she said. “And so naïve.”

“What do you—” Jean began, but Levi interrupted him. “I intend to keep Eren in this form, for his sake and for ours. For my own, too. Regardless of what your opinion is, I don’t care.”

“You’re asking for trouble.” Erwin’s voice was serious, but it was clear he had given up on convincing Levi by now.

“Eren!” Suddenly, Hange’s voice pierced their ears.

Jean’s head snapped towards Eren – only to see him collapsed on the ground. His cheeks were reddish and breathing shallow, eyes closed. Hange was now kneeling next to him, checking for his pulse.

“No side effects, huh?” Erwin’s mocking remark fell on deaf ears; all three of them jumped to Eren’s side.

“There have never been any,” Hange’s brow creased. “Up until this point. Maybe excessive movement is the cause of this.” Placing her hand on Eren’s forehead, she pursed her lips. “Before, I warned Levi to refrain from putting strain on Eren’s body, just in case. But because you came here unexpectedly, he jumped in to save Levi, and this is the result.” Glaring at Erwin, she sourly added: “ _Amazing_ job.”

“ _Erwin_.” That single word Levi uttered had a sharp edge. “Get the fuck out.” He held Eren’s head in his palms gently, not looking at the uninvited visitor. “If it affects him permanently, I will personally come and _end_ you.”

There was a silent cuss, then footsteps, then the door closed. Levi got up and taking Eren in his arms with a tense expression in his face, he made his way to the bed in the corner of the room. Once the boy was safely under the soft covers, Levi turned to Hange. “I’m counting on you, four-eyes.”

Jean, taken aback by Levi’s sudden change in attitude, stood frozen, his sight never moving away from Eren during the whole time. Although he was worried and wanted to run to Eren’s side, he also rationally knew that he wouldn’t be able to help. Seeing how Levi set everything down and kicked Erwin out the moment he saw something was wrong made Jean painfully aware that he was, in fact, still an incompetent child. Levi took care of things, while… while Jean just stood and watched.

He couldn’t do a thing.

Even though he wished to help so desperately.

“Jean! What are you standing there like a statue for,” Hange’s words brought him back to his senses before he could drown in a sea of guilt. “Get us some ice packs. I didn’t take them, and he’s burning up.”

Without saying anything, Jean nodded and rushed out of the room once more.


	5. The cure becomes the malady which then consumes us

Jean was sitting next to the bed Eren was in. Despite the room belonging to Levi, nobody was telling him to leave, and so, Jean spent hours by Eren’s side, watching him. After Hange tended to Eren and reassured Jean that despite his sudden collapse, Eren was in no imminent danger, both she and Levi left and they hadn’t been back since. Jean didn’t ask why.

Sighing, he touched Eren’s cheek carefully. It was blazing hot, reddened with the fever, and there were droplets of sweat forming on Eren’s face, one after another running down his skin. The boy’s breathing was heavy, though regular, and his eyelids were slightly twitching. Jean was changing the ice packs until he ran out of them. Then, he brought at least a bucket of cold water and was regularly putting a cold handkerchief on Eren’s forehead.

Just when he was repeating the process, Eren’s eyes snapped open. His hand shot up quickly and Jean yelped in surprise when it wrapped around his wrist like an iron cuff. The glowing orbs with slit pupils were staring at him. Eren sat up slowly, his chest rising and falling less regularly than before.

Eren’s fingernails had never been this long and sharp. It likely wasn’t intentional, but they pierced Jean’s skin a little bit when he grabbed Jean’s hand. It didn’t even hurt, Jean noticed only after he felt something ticklish on his forearm. A drop of blood fell onto the sheet.

Eren parted his lips and Jean shuddered. He did notice before that Eren seemed to have small fangs, and he found it cute. Right at that moment, though, not so much. They were longer and Jean swallowed hard when he heard a quiet, but deep and threatening bellow seep through them.

Eren didn’t seem to recognise him.

The realisation hit Jean after a few seconds of them staring at one another. Though Eren wasn’t acting hostile, he _was_ being cautious, and the growl was a form of warning. Jean’s throat clenched as his heart sank; did Eren forget?

Against his better judgement, he leaned closer and pushed Eren onto his back. Thankfully, the fever made the boy weaker; Jean remembered that when Eren was healthy, it was more a matter of luck than strength if he wanted to win. They play-fought sometimes, and regardless of who ended up winning, in the end, they always found themselves having a smooching session instead. But this was different. This time, he _needed_ to win.

Even though Eren’s grip was strong, he didn’t manage to get up once he got pinned down. “Don’t get up, okay?” Jean said hastily. He wasn’t trying to free his hand; first, he needed Eren to understand that it was dangerous for him to get out of bed. Still keeping Eren from moving, he added: “You need to keep warm under the covers.”

Eren struggled against Jean, trying to get up again, not minding his words. Jean hesitated briefly. Here and there, he could see Levi use dog commands towards Eren, and though Jean hated it, it was slowly starting to fall into place. “Eren,” his voice shook, “ _no. Down_.”

The other’s eyes widened and he looked up at Jean, confused. His nostrils shivered and his gaze slowly fell on the scratch on Jean’s forearm. Jean inhaled sharply and almost jerked his hand away when Eren tilted his head and started lapping at the few red drops on Jean’s skin.

Very unwillingly, Jean repeated what he just said. “Eren, _down._ ”

Eren seemed to be startled by this command – perhaps because it came from someone else than Levi. Obediently, though, he lay his head back onto the pillow, his fiery eyes watching Jean’s every move.

Jean was at a loss. Since Eren had finally woken up, he wanted to hug him, give him a kiss… and not just one. But it didn’t seem right. He was still sick and clearly very out of it, so to do something like that would be unwise.

The door opened, and Hange entered the room again. She was carrying a glass of water. “Is he awake?” she asked, but before Jean could reply, she was already by the bed as well. “Oh. He’s still not,” she hesitated briefly, “his human self.” Placing the glass onto the bedside table, she leaned down to examine Eren’s face closely.

“Human… self?” Jean parroted, his brows furrowed.

“It must’ve hit you already,” Hange said, reaching out to Eren. Said boy growled, but didn’t try to move his head away when Hange opened his left eye wider. “That he isn’t really human.”

“It has…” Jean hesitated before continuing, “but I… what _is_ he, then?”

“To simplify,” Hange replied thoughtfully, “you could call him a lycanthrope.”

“A… what?” Jean furrowed his brows. Again, Hange was using difficult words. She’d do that sometimes, and whenever she did, she left Jean utterly confused. Usually, when it didn’t concern him, he kept his mouth shut, but he couldn’t do something like that when it came to Eren.

“A werewolf.” Hange curled her lips in disapproval, seemingly both on Jean’s lack of knowledge and the usage of that word. “Though not like the ones you can read about in books.”

“What do you mean by that?”

“Well…” she shrugged, pinching Eren’s nose to make him open his mouth, then she carefully examined the sharp canine teeth. “Most of those stories don’t apply. We’ve tested a lot. For example, touching silver does nothing to him. He has no reaction to it – or to any other metals that we thought were safe to try. I mean, I wouldn’t experiment with mercury on Eren, right. Also, the transformation…”

Jean looked at Eren. He would have never suspected such a thing. But this explained why Levi was treating Eren like a dog – in more ways than one. He still disapproved of Levi’s behaviour towards Eren, even more so now that he knew the reason.

“You’re not listening.” Hange shook her head. “Do you not want to know?”

“Sorry, I was—” Jean started, but didn’t say anything in the end. “Tell me.”

“The urge to transform rises and lessens in cycles. Nothing to do with the full moon, or its light. It’s a little bit like menses.” Hange chuckled briefly, then became serious. “However… when he turns, he’s very hard to control. For reasons we don’t know, he’d always obeyed Levi, though, ever since he was a cub.”

“… At least say a _child_ ,” Jean murmured, rubbing his temples. This was making his head ache. “How did you… how did… what…” He found himself at a loss of words; he had so many questions he didn’t know what to ask about first.

“Erwin,” Hange decided to help him out. “The guy who visited yesterday. Levi and I used to work under him. He’s a… researcher.” There was an audible pause before the last word, hinting that there was much more to it than what was really said. “Eren is not the only one of his kind that we know of. It was Erwin who discovered them, though accidentally, and I was intrigued. Originally, we were only observing from afar, but… that changed quickly.”

“The lab?” Jean didn’t have to stop and think.

Humming affirmatively, Hange continued. “Levi was one of the guards at that place. Also, at that point in time, in a very intense relationship with Erwin. Although I’m not sure how much of that was consensual, Erwin could never keep his hands off of Levi.”

“I saw that yesterday,” Jean nodded, recoiling a little at the memory. “I thought it was weird. Even if they have known each other since long ago, it’s not normal to feel people up at random.”

Hange agreed. “He’s not entirely… right in the head. Anyway. Like I said, Erwin was the first to encounter the lycanthropes – in that forest where the laboratory is. He was very interested in them, and it didn’t take us long to capture them all.”

“ _Us_?”

“Well, he would be unable to do it alone.” Hange searched through her pockets and eventually found a thermometer. “To sum it up, they were living near some caves that went deep underground. And there was a stream down there that had some… interesting properties. Before we’d rounded them up like sheep and locked them up in the facility, we were watching them for a while; they would regularly go into the caves just to get to the spring, even though it was dangerous. And they would transform in the water. At first we assumed that the water brought some relief, because the transformation seemed painful. However, later it turned out it was more than that. When we splashed them with the water, some would change almost instantly. No other water did that – and yet, we ran so many tests with the water found in the caves, and found _nothing_. Null. Zero. Nada. It was nothing special. Drinkable, surprisingly enough, but that was all. It had no effect on me or anybody else who tried drinking it.”

Seeing that Jean seemed only more confused than he was at the beginning, she decided to make the rest a little shorter: “Eren was born a few months after we started researching the water. Immediately, he got attached to Levi, even before he transformed for the first time. They lived as a pack, but they weren’t very friendly among themselves, so he was more at Levi’s side than by his parents’ side – Levi gave the puppy attention. It was kind of funny, actually. With his gruff demeanour, he’d take care of the kid with love. It was a little like looking at a delinquent picking up a stray cat.”

Jean coughed. “Your train of thought is about to derail.”

“Ah, right. Sorry.” Hange laughed sheepishly. “Erwin didn’t like the double treatment. I guess it’s understandable, but they’d argue about it on daily basis and in the end, Levi got pissed and left with the puppy in his bag. And, being his friend, I went along. We’ve left before the research was complete. I continued working on it more, though, for Eren’s sake. And without people getting in my way, I found the solution so quickly I almost couldn’t believe it. However…” she pinched the bridge of her nose, “after Eren’s transformation cycle became a regular and fixed matter, we found out he needs to use the medicine on regular basis. Otherwise, once transformed back, he’d attack whoever comes into Levi’s room, other than Levi himself. It’s not clear why he’s so aggressive, though.”

“Since you know Erwin…” Jean scratched his head, “couldn’t you have just asked for the… whatever we stole from there?”

Hange smiled sadly, shaking her head. “Erwin is impossible to negotiate with. I told you, there’s something wrong him. Levi wouldn’t go near him – and Erwin would never talk to _me_ after had Levi left him, since he’d only agree to speak with Levi himself. So even though you’re right, and it would be much easier, it can’t be done. I think, actually, that Erwin was hoping he’d catch Levi that time… but you and I went there instead.”

“So that’s the reason _we_ went? Instead of him? So he could avoid Erwin at all cost?” Jean frowned. Such a thing – to stick out his own neck to save the boss? Outrageous.

“It was my idea, but yes,” Hange nodded.

Jean thought about it for a while. Although he wasn’t very happy to hear all that, he still liked Eren very much and wasn’t going to leave his boyfriend’s side. There were still a few things that bugged him, though. “Eren and Levi…” he said eventually, “why are they the way they are? Wouldn’t it be better to let Eren live normally? Or, like the rest of us, at the very least?”

“I don’t know Levi’s reasoning behind that,” Hange looked at Jean. Eren, since she let him be, hid under the blanket and began growling silently. “You’re going to have to ask him yourself.”

“You’ve never wondered?” Jean found that hard to believe. Hange with her curious, inquisitive mind surely wanted to answer every question arisen.

“Oh, of course I have asked him. He told me to piss off.” Hange chuckled. “Not sure if you’ll get a different answer, but I guess it’s worth a try.”

Jean looked at Eren, who was currently hidden under the blanket, his radiant orbs shining from the small gap he was peeking through. Upon noticing Jean’s gaze, he growled again and scooted a few inches backwards. Jean heaved a sigh; the fact that Eren was acting as though Jean were a stranger… it hurt.

Suddenly, Eren jumped from under the covers, and with a whine, he rushed out through the door Hange had forgotten to close before either of the two could react.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Surprise, I still exist.


	6. The hunt, the bane of thy existence

“You let him run off in that state?!” Levi was holding Jean under the collar, staring into his eyes; their noses were almost touching. His expression was the epitome of fury.

“What were you expecting me to—” Jean began defending himself weakly. He felt devastated that he was unable to stop Eren from leaving, of course, and Levi was just rubbing salt in Jean’s wound now.

Levi had stormed into the room shortly after Eren disappeared – a split second after they heard a loud noise, the cause likely being a certain somebody bursting through the solid wood of the front door. The image that unravelled in front of him was painted clear – Eren was nowhere to be seen, Hange and Jean were halfway across the room, heading out, their faces shocked and upset. There was no need for explanations.

“Shut the fuck up,” Levi growled, interrupting Jean’s sentence. “We’re leaving.”

“But—“

“Listen, dipshit. Eren’s out there, running half-naked in the streets, rabid, and before I kill you for it, we need to find him. Get your ass in the car, you’re coming with me. Hange, you hold down the fort. If anybody – _anybody_ – comes while we’re gone, shoot. Alert the others, watch the building.”

“Roger.” Saying that, Hange just nodded, though her voice was far from calm.

“Also, barricade what’s left of the door.” Levi threw that over his shoulder, as he made his way out of the room, hauling Jean along.

Jean freed himself when they were going down the stairs – partly because the height difference was uncomfortable for the both of them with Levi leading.  “Do you know where he could have gone?” he asked. He had no idea himself, and he doubted that Levi would be able to just point them in a certain direction. Then again, they had to start _somewhere_.

“No clue,” Levi growled, “but he’s bound to cause an uproar if anybody sees him. We’ll search the area and try looking for people yelling about either a pervert, or a giant wolf.” The car keys in his hand clinked before there was the beep of the car unlocking.

Jean climbed onto the passenger seat and sighed heavily. Levi slammed the door and seeing the scowl on his face, Jean guessed there was going to be a lot of uncomfortable silence along the way.

He had misjudged, though.

Right after they’d left the plot of land that belonged to Levi’s company, the boss spoke.

“He was chained,” that sentence was as though forged of sharp steel, “so how the fuck did he get out?”

Jean hesitated. That part was entirely his fault. He took off the collar from Eren’s neck, because he thought that since Eren was sick, not only there was no need for it – it was simply wrong to make a sick person wear something like that. “I…” he clenched his fists, “I took the collar off…”

“Why would you even think that was a good idea?!” Levi made a sharp turn and slowed down a bit. “The chain was there for a reason!”

“Well, you’re a pervert, what am I supposed to think,” Jean snapped back, not caring about the consequences anymore. “It could just be your kink.”

“Even then, you shouldn’t have done that,” Levi gave Jean a sideways glare. “Not after you’ve seen what he really is.”

“You’re not denying it,” Jean stated.

“I don’t dislike the collar and chain on him, if that’s what you’re hinting at. If you were in my shoes, you’d understand.”

Jean huffed and looked out of the window; they were nearing some bushes and trees. “Let’s try the park first,” he said suddenly.

“Why?”

“Eren told me about it several times,” Jean replied. “You can see it from the roof. He said he’d like to go there with me at least once.”

“Stop bragging,” Levi clicked his tongue as he stopped the car by the sidewalk.

“Bragging?! Are you serious?” Jean couldn’t believe his own ears. Shaking his head, he got out of the car, waiting for Levi to do the same. In his eyes, this sort of aggressivity from Levi’s side was completely pointless, since Eren was so boundlessly loyal to the man. Knowing that he could not ever be in the position to compete, he was willing to hide, he was willing to be only second in the line, he was willing to do almost anything if it meant he could be with Eren.

And the Levi, who didn’t need to lift a finger, as he had all of Eren, felt threatened by the powerless brat that Jean was. He was unlikely to admit it, but the way he was making it obvious that Jean has no right to even breathe the same air as Eren, well… it made him seem somewhat… anxious? Oddly, considering just how heartless he could be, but Jean could suddenly see it clearly.

Levi didn’t reply and turned his back to Jean, making his way towards the nearby tree shades. They were deep and dark, and it wasn’t long before the sun would set completely. Jean, unsure as to whether Levi considered this a loss or not, followed cautiously. He could by no means be certain of Eren’s presence here, but there was some sort of a gut feeling he just couldn’t shake off.

The park was completely empty, not a soul in sight. That was odd; even at this time of the day, at least one homeless person or a few early drunks should have been nearby. Levi walked ahead of Jean carefully, silently whistling from time to time. His eyes were scouring the underbrush, hoping to catch a glimpse of anything at all.

Jean was no gardener, but even he could see that nobody was taking care of this park. The bushes were growing wildly, there were no flowers planted anywhere, and there were numerous saplings sprouting in the pathway. Despite being left to grow at its own pace, all sorts of people would gather here, especially after dark, so the fact that there was nobody but them had Jean on edge, as he was tiptoeing behind the boss.

Just as Levi whistled for an umpteenth time, something stepped on the fallen leaves behind them. Jean turned after the rustle and suddenly forgot to breathe.

Majestic in posture, and bigger than Jean had anticipated, a wolf was standing there, looking the shocked boy right in the eye. Its fur was interspersed with shades of brown, dark grey, and reddish, and its glistening orbs with thin slits of pupils were staring him down.

Eren.

Jean knew that the moment their eyes met. This vibrant colour was unique to Eren, and even though it had changed slightly, being enhanced by the glow, it was his boyfriend without a doubt.

Jean’s heartbeat was frantic, but he couldn’t move a muscle nor raise his voice. He just stood there, incapable of thought. He’d only woken up from the trance the moment he got tackled onto his back. A maw full of sharp teeth breathed hot air into his face. The stench of a beast. Eren didn’t growl. He just opened his mouth, and Jean turned his head away, not wanting to look at the pain that was surely coming.

“Eren.” Levi’s voice froze the beast in place, and as the boss stepped closer, the werewolf’s ears flattened to its head. Jean, who, now that his life seemed to be safe, was trying to see without turning his head, and watched Eren’s gigantic body lower itself towards the ground, cowering in front of the smaller man.

“Sit.” Levi’s tone was that of a master, commanding the beast he controlled, and weirdly enough, Jean himself felt a sudden urge to obey that order. Unlike Eren, though, he resisted it. Eren sat down, putting the weight of his body on Jean’s legs.

“You ran away,” Levi’s hand grabbed the wolf’s jaws, and he glared into Eren’s eyes from up close. Eren attempted to turn away, but did not manage to do so.

“Change,” Levi demanded. Eren’s ears twitched and he whined, giving Levi the puppy eyes. Vainly.  Levi didn’t repeat his order, he simply waited until Eren’s will bent to his own.

For the first time, Jean witnessed Eren’s transformation.

A deafening howl erupted from the beast’s throat, as it convulsively writhed in pain, its claws leaving deep traces in the dirt. Jean scooted back as soon as he could, just barely escaping to save his skin, and he watched with eyes widened in horror as Eren shed his werewolf shell. That’s what it looked like to Jean, at least, as Eren emerged from the remains of what used to be the werewolf, naked, with tearful, strained face, and collapsed onto the heap of coarse hair and reddish tissue lifelessly, unconscious.

“Gross.” Levi leaned down to pick the body up, but Jean jumped to his feet.

“Wait,” he said hastily, “let me.”

Instantly, Levi stepped back, not bothering to hide that he was glad he didn’t have to touch the grime, blood, and fur on the ground. Jean, on the other hand, did not care in the slightest; Eren was more important than any of that. When he saw Eren moments earlier, he was terrified, but the thin body in his hands now was lighter than ever, and seemed so very fragile. Eren’s cheeks were hollow and his lips chapped; it appeared that the wolf form was extremely exhausting, even though Eren clearly did not want to transform back. Perhaps it was just the transformation itself – Jean had no idea and did not care at the moment.

He carried the boy back to the car and laid him down carefully onto the back seats, covering him with a blanket once he found it in the trunk. Eren’s breathing was shallow and he was so pale he looked like a corpse.

With a heavy sigh, Jean settled down in the passenger seat and looked at Levi, who had been waiting for him.

“Just what is he to you?” he challenged Levi once the man started the engine.

“You mean, besides being a valuable asset?” Levi swerved on the road, manoeuvring the car in the direction they came from.

“What do you mean by that?”

“It’s simple. Eren’s existence frightens my competition. Those who know of him know it’s best not to cross me. Of course, there are hunters,” Levi frowned slightly, “and that is a fucking pain considering the fact that they’d happily hang Eren up on some wall as a trophy. Those guys are lunatics. Now that Eren has made an appearance again after a long while, we’re going to have late-night visitors.”

“So when you mentioned _an alternative_ before I injected Eren with the… whatever it was,” Jean pondered aloud, “it was related to the hunters?”

“It weirds me the fuck out when you’re being smart,” Levi growled. “Yeah. The _alternative_ is that I let him go. I can’t keep him if he refuses to be manageable, and I won’t return him back to the forest where Erwin is, because that just… no.  You’ve got hunters in the streets, Erwin back where his home used to be, or an occasional injection of something that eases your pain. Eren knows that his chances of survival are best by my side.”

“But that doesn’t give you the right to treat him like a toy,” Jean protested, and that sentence caused Levi to stop the car abruptly. Eren groaned in the back, but remained unconscious.

“You’ve been shooting off your mouth an awful lot lately,” the boss growled darkly and grabbed Jean by the collar of his shirt, “and I think it’s time to remember that this mess is _your_ fault.”

“Do you even care about him?” Jean blurted out, and before he could utter another word, Levi grabbed his throat and gave it a strong squeeze.

“Do not _ever_ question that.” The cold steel glaring from Levi’s eyes was thirsting for Jean’s blood. “I care about him enough to let your sorry ass live, even after what you’ve done, since he’d be sad if you died, because _love_ or some shit. Also,” he let go and watched Jean cough, “you’ve redeemed yourself a little by guessing correctly where he was.”

Jean didn’t say anything, trying to catch his breath. He had forgotten how violent and unforgiving Levi knew to be.

“But,” Levi started the car again, “your mistakes cannot go unpunished. Eren won’t be getting off scot-free either, and I’m sure you knew that already. Do _not_ try me, though, because you belong to me, just as he does.”

Gritting his teeth, Jean looked away. “Since when have you been… you and Eren…” he didn’t know how to finish.

“Hm?” Levi gave him a sideways glance. “You really are pushing your luck. Do you want to lose a body part or something?” Before Jean could react to that in any way, he continued: “Since he came onto me, about two years ago. If I’m not mistaken, you got here about eight months later.”

Jean swallowed hard. So it was Eren who initiated it? That… Jean had been better off not knowing.

“Let me make something clear,” Levi stopped the car in front of their building and got out, waving at the windows downstairs, and as Jean got out to get Eren, he finished, “I’m not letting you have him, Kirstein. No fucking way. If you behave, and even then just maybe, I might let you have your share sometimes.”


	7. A desperate situation calls for desperate measures

“Tell me. How do you think I’m going to deal with you?” Levi leaned slightly forward in his armchair, as menacing as ever.

“How the hell should I know,” Jean turned away, and his sight fell on Eren. At this point, he was being straight-up defiant, but he couldn’t just grit his teeth and keep silent about what he was forced to see. “What the fuck is _that_?! You said you care, and _this_ is what you do?!” He was nearly yelling, and his fists were shaking, helplessly clenched.

Eren twitched, hearing the frustration in Jean’s voice. He was, once again, chained to the wall, the collar around his neck tighter than it used to be. He was blindfolded, and his entire arms were bound behind his back with a number of leather straps so that he could barely move; his legs were in no better state, and the leather shorts he was wearing only added to the impression that Levi was abusing his power over Eren yet again.

“What do you _think_ it is?” Levi’s voice was infuriatingly calm. The boss was watching Jean’s every reaction, anticipating Jean’s next move. Clearly, he wasn’t just going to let slide his minor loss from earlier at the park.

“I…” Jean breathed out, “I know that he’ll accept anything you do to him.” Against his better judgement, he stepped forward. There was a fine line between what Levi approved of and what he considered insolent when it came to standing up for oneself. That being said, Jean didn’t give a rat’s ass. At this point, it surely hardly mattered – Levi obviously disliked him ever since he found out about Jean and Eren, anyway. “But… but that doesn’t give you the right to be like this!”

“You know,” Levi relaxed back and crossed his legs, “he’s a dog. And that’s not just me saying it because I want to piss you off, or to insult him. He _is_ de facto partly a dog. It’s a matter of mentality and instincts. If I threw him a stick and yelled ‘fetch’, he’d do it before his humanity could stop him. And the same dog brain expects and requires to be punished if he misbehaves. I have tried several different kinds of approach, and this has proven to be the most effective.”

“Even so,” Jean insisted, “that is just cruel.” He gestured towards Eren.

“Not quite,” Levi shrugged his shoulders. “A punishment is not something cruel. It’s something _deserved_. He’s just restrained; it’s not like he’s suffering a great deal.”

Jean was silent for a few seconds, then his eyes widened as he suddenly realised the truth. “You’re doing this to him because of _me_.”

”Of course. The fact that you two are so close is a punishment in itself. I’m punishing you by seeing him suffer, and punishing him by making you look at him in this state,” Levi said, and then… he _smiled_. It was a smile that said, ‘not only I’ve read your file, I’ve also read your mind, the dirty mags you’ve hidden under your bed, _and_ I know the exact time you’d decided to jack off to them’; it was a smile of a man who knows _exactly_ just how much he’s tormenting his opponent.

Jean inhaled shakily. This was why he hated Levi so much. The man was calculating like no other, and to make matters worse, everything seemed to work out for him. Jean, on the other hand, was knee-deep in shit ever since he had the misfortune of meeting the boss. “Um…” he said, “Could I talk alone to Eren, maybe?”

“Eren should keep no secrets from me. Everything went to crap for everyone involved the one time he tried that,” Levi shook his head disapprovingly, clearly hinting at the entire Jean-Eren incident. “I’m staying right here. If you two want to talk, go for it, though.”

Jean clicked his tongue. “Suit yourself, then.” Turning away from Levi, he made his way over to Eren. Kneeling next to the immobile boy, he stroked his hair hesitantly.

Eren rolled over to face Jean. Because of the blindfold, he couldn’t see, but that did not seem to matter.

“Eren,” Jean said quietly, surprised that his voice didn’t shake. Once he found out that Eren was the one to initiate the relationship with the boss, he felt torn. Despite everything, he felt deeply for Eren and didn’t want to hurt him in any way, but also…

Eren was very much not human.

Eren wanted to be _owned_ by Levi, like the dog Levi would call him.

And it was Eren who even started it.

Jean was afraid. Not of Eren, surprisingly enough, but he was questioning the morality of the entire thing. What if Levi was right to treat Eren this way? What if Jean really had no right to come in between those two?

What if being with Eren was simply wrong?

“Why didn’t you tell me that you wanted to be with Levi like this? That it was your idea?” he said softly in the end.

“I… I was scared you’d hate me if I told you,” Eren replied. “And I don’t want that.”

Jean sighed. Eren had been strangely meek ever since he’d woken up; Jean was unsure as to how much Eren could have remembered from the time he was in his wolf form, but he had a hunch it could have something to do with the fact that Eren attacked Jean.

“I don’t hate you,” he therefore shook his head, “but there’s so much I could have heard from you, but I had to find out by myself.” His tone was a little bitter.

“Jean, I—I’m sorry,” Eren struggled in his bonds. “I’m so sorry. Let me explain—”

“I just… have a lot to process. Right now, I’m not sure what to think. I’ll talk to you as soon as I can. Okay?” Then, Jean turned to Levi. “Can I leave now?”

Levi stared at him thoughtfully for a while. “Come with me,” he got up suddenly. “I have something to tell you, and I would rather not have Eren overhear.”

Eren struggled to sit up, and eventually managed to do so. “But I—” he started, but Jean put a finger across his lips, then he stepped away.

“Alright.”

Wordlessly, Levi walked out of the room, and Jean followed. Somehow, he had a feeling that Levi wanted to spare Eren some emotional pain – Levi’s face was far from comforting and Jean caught himself _thankful_ that Eren’s vision was obstructed by the blindfold.

Levi led Jean down through the dark corridor. There were no windows, and the lights were not on – but they did not need to be. All residents of this building knew the entire place by heart, cellar to rooftop, every inch. When Levi turned to walk up the stairs, Jean realised that he, in fact, did not know just how well could Eren hear, and Levi probably couldn’t know that for certain, either.

They ended up as high as they could – the place where Levi would ‘walk’ Eren almost daily. The boss walked over to the edge to look past the railing encircling the roof. “You really _can_ see it from here,” he said.

“What?”

“The park.” Levi turned to Jean and his expression was unreadable.

“Ah… Yeah.” Jean hesitated. He didn’t know what Levi’s intentions were, and what was worse, he couldn’t predict any of his actions or decisions.

“So?” Levi tilted his head, leisurely leaning onto the railing.

“So… what?”

“So… now that Eren won’t hear,” Levi’s eyes narrowed, “why don’t you tell your boss everything you want to say? I’ll listen.”

“Why?” Jean demanded an explanation. Levi would never suggest this without a reason behind it.

“Because this might be the _one_ time I won’t feed you your own testicles if you speak your mind,” Levi growled.

Jean clenched his fists yet again. “What…” he said, “what do I have to do to be able to _be_ with Eren? Without you standing in our way?”

“You’re not asking the right question,” Levi shook his head. “The question is – what are you willing to do? How far are you willing to go?”

“I’ll do anything,” Jean replied firmly without a moment’s thought.

Levi looked at him doubtfully. “Anything?”

“Yes.”

“Then,” Levi stepped closer abruptly, “if I were to bend you over right now and drill your ass like there’s no tomorrow, would you not try and resist?”

“Assuming you’d let us be together then…” Jean let out uncomfortably through his clenched teeth, “do whatever you want.”

“Gross. I have no interest in your hairy ass,” Levi scoffed. “But if you’re not careful, Kirstein, I might develop one.” Watching Jean’s eyes dart all over the place, he continued: “For your information, I always do what I want. If for some reason I wanted to do you, I _would_ , and you would be unable to stop me.”

Jean’s pupils locked on Levi’s face. Up until now, he wasn’t sure what to make of this conversation, but some ideas had begun to form, and he didn’t like any of those shapes in the mist. “… There’s something you want me to do.” In the end, he picked the one he was most sure of. “That’s why you’ve dragged me up here. To make sure that not just Eren, but also the others, would not hear us.”

“Smart,” Levi clicked his tongue in mild disapproval. “I keep forgetting that you can actually use that head of yours when you feel like it.”

Jean stared him down, ignoring the insult, as it was just one of many that had showered on his head during his stay here.

“I’ll give you two options,” Levi folded his arms on his chest. “One – give him up. Clearly, you don’t have it in you to handle the responsibility he means.”

“Not gonna do that,” Jean shook his head resolutely.

“Figures. That’s why I led you up here in the first place. So that we’re alone when I propose this.” Stepping closer, Levi reached to his pocket and nodded at Jean to hold out his hand. Jean did so cautiously and was surprised to be handed a cell phone. It was far from the newest piece of technology they could get their hands on.

“Every day,” Levi said, “I will call you or otherwise contact you via that phone, giving you instructions. These tasks, however, might force you to break the law, repeatedly. Trespassing, stealing, even killing could be required. Are you ready to become that kind of person, Jean?”

“Why not just give me the instructions directly?” Jean objected.

“Because from that point on, you will only be allowed here on my direct permission. On such an occasion, however,” Levi added, “Eren will be yours for the entire time. I’ll stay out of the way and you two can…” his nose curled in mild disgust, “smooch, or whatever it is you two do when you’re together.”

“And if I say no to this as well?”

“Then your resolve is weak.” Levi’s voice was cold. “And you don’t deserve to be anywhere near Eren, let alone touch him. I won’t blame you for your weakness, though, should that be your decision.”

Jean looked at the beaten-up phone in his hand. “So _that_ is why the people who come work for you are considered dead,” he mused. “That’s why my funeral was held.”

“I paid for it,” Levi shrugged his shoulders, “without adding the costs to your parents’ debt. And since you couldn’t attend – I assure you, you were sent off as respectfully as you could have been.”

“And I bet you stood there like a vulture until it ended,” Jean growled. “Why offer this to me, though? You hate me, I know that. But I also know that if I became a thorn in your eye, you could just send me over the Styx for the second time, no problem.”

“I don’t hate you,” Levi sighed. “I do disapprove, but that’s hardly the same. Back in the park, I was briefly tempted to just let Eren eat your face, but… what would be the point of that? I mean, I could kill either of you, but that’d be more of a loss than a gain regardless of which one of you would die.”

“Are there any others?” Jean wanted to know.

“Of course. There’s a chance you might meet some of them.” Levi thought about it for a few heartbeats. “And you might have to cooperate with them as well.”

“If you didn’t want the others to hear about this, how could you be sure that if I refused, I wouldn’t tell anyone?”

“Doesn’t this question of yours prove that you’ll keep it to yourself?” Levi tilted his head. “Obviously, though, you have to keep silent regardless of what your decision is going to be.”

Jean glanced at the tips of his shoes, inhaling shakily, then he clutched the phone he’d been holding, and he looked Levi square in the eye. “I’ll… I’ll do it.”


	8. The means is never justified by the goal

Jean was sitting on a dusty mattress, twirling his fingers nervously. The phone he got from Levi lay in front of him on the just as dusty ground, silent. It was getting dark, and the shadows in the room left little room for comfort.

He had lost the roof above his head by signing up for this. Levi, however, contrary to Jean’s expectation, pointed him to an abandoned building that was not inhabited by any homeless people, and was yet to be torn down, miraculously (although Jean figured that this was, in fact, a plot of land owned by Levi, so there were hardly any miracles happening).

The electricity was not working, and there was no water, either. Everything was covered in a layer of dust, and Jean thanked any and every god he could think of for not being allergic. For the moment, he’d made the decision to clean up once he could be sure he wouldn’t be called for a while.

Swallowing hard, he eyed the beaten-up phone again. He was scared of what Levi might ask of him, and more scared that he might be unable to carry out the tasks. It didn’t matter that Levi had considered him capable of doing so.

Nevertheless, Eren was worth it. Jean didn’t have to stop to think about it. It was as clear as a bright day’s sky. Since he had nobody else in the world, nobody was more important than Eren. Therefore, he would do anything to be with Eren – that was what he had told Levi, and he’d stand by his words even if the world were to end.

It was his bad that he hadn’t spoken with Eren before he made his leave from the headquarters, but he wasn’t sure what to say – or if there was anything to say at all. Levi had made it clear that Jean better keep his mouth shut regarding this entire matter, and Jean had no idea whether Eren was to be kept out of the loop. And even if he weren’t, what would Jean say? ‘Hey, I made a deal with Levi and I actually have absolutely no idea what it entails, but if I do it right, then we might get to see each other _without_ Levi in the room’?

Plus, only after agreeing to Levi’s terms he realised that this meant he was farther away from Eren – not to mention that they could now see each other less frequently than before. Unfortunately, there was no jumping off this train without breaking a limb or two in the process.

He nearly got a heart attack when the phone rang. He grabbed it with shaking hands, and only by luck he managed to press the green button.

 _“Tonight around half past midnight, a short girl with long blond hair and brown eyes is going to be leaving Bent Nail, the bar on Whitby Street. She’ll be wearing a short black dress, but considering that bar’s clientele, that’s hardly helpful.”_ It was Levi’s voice, and as far as Jean could tell, the boss sounded extremely disinterested.

_“She’s a natural blonde, and she’ll probably have crescent moon-shaped earrings. Deliver her by any means necessary to the address I’ll send you by text later. This should go without saying, but delete the text after you memorize it. Got it?”_

“Y-Yes,” Jean stuttered out. He had a lot of questions, but there was no way Levi would answer them. And even if he did, Jean wasn’t sure he _wanted_ to know some of the answers.

_“I’ve had someone drop off car keys to your front door. You should find them if you look properly. The car is parked around the corner, and there’s stuff you might need in the trunk. After you’re done, leave the car at the same place you drop off the girl. Someone else will take care of it. And obviously, make sure you don’t damage her, alright?”_

Jean just hummed in agreement, as his heart sank.

 _“I’ll call you at around four AM to make sure you’ve succeeded. Oh, and if it helps – her name’s Kelly.”_ A number of beeps announced the end of the call.

Hesitantly, Jean put the phone in his pocket and got up. Dusting off his butt, he made his way towards the entrance.

The street was empty, and the street lamps were just lighting up when he opened the door. As he began looking for the car keys carefully, Jean realised he’d been holding his breath since he left the room he was in.

The keys were under a loose tile in the steps leading to the door, as it turned out – which was not a smart move. It was, in fact, the fourth spot Jean checked – right after the mailbox, the empty flowerpot that had clearly been next to the door for ages, and _under_ said flowerpot. The loose tile made a noise when he stepped on it back when he came here first, so he knew it was not fixed in place. Regardless, the person who left it there must have known about it as well. This could mean that people would get moved around, that the abandoned house was not a permanent solution to Jean’s homelessness. There were no signs that this particular building had been inhabited recently, though.

The car was really just around the corner, and surprisingly enough, it was in good shape – and thanks to that, it was inconspicuous. It was a dark-green older model of Skoda Octavia, and Jean would bet his head that the license plate had been replaced for this exact occasion.

He got in and drove a few streets away before checking what was inside the trunk. The boss himself taught him to drive… if only had Jean known back then what it was for.

Just a quick glance at the contents made him want to slam it closed and run. This was just a plain kidnapping, no doubt, and Jean had to do it. Some of the stuff he didn’t know how to handle, and he could only hope that he was going to be just as lucky as he was with finding Eren.

The phone in his pocket vibrated. Jean slammed the trunk shut and moved back to the driver’s seat, then he proceeded to read the text. “The fuck,” he murmured, “that’s on the other side of town…”

* * *

Jean bit his lip as he was watching the bar silently. He was hidden in an alley across the street, clutching a knife in one hand. The plan he had constructed in the several hours he had had was poor and very likely to fail if anything went differently, but it was better than having no plan at all. His heartbeat was quick and breath ragged, and though the night was rather cold, he was sweating like a pig.

The door opened yet again, and a group of young people walked out. Some of them were unsteady on their feet, others not as much.

“You’re sure you don’t wanna go with us?” one of the guys turned towards the door.

Kelly. It was she for certain. Jean couldn’t see her earrings or eyes from that distance, but the timing was right, and she was the only blonde in the group.

She shook her head and replied, “I gotta go home.”

“It wouldn’t kill you to stay a bit longer,” the guy tried to convince her. “It’s not like you got anything on tomorrow, right?”

“I guess, but…” Kelly hesitated.

“Come on,” another of her friends chimed in. “I’ll buy you a drink. We haven’t seen each other since graduation, don’t be a spoilsport.”

“Okay,” Kelly said after a moment’s thought. “But only for a bit.”

_Drat._

Jean watched them all walk down the street; he knew he had no choice but to follow. It didn’t take them long before they reached another bar and went inside; having remembered the location, Jean ran quickly back to park the car nearer.

Once he was done with that, he grit his teeth and entered the bar. He wasn’t going to drink anything, of course, but he had to lure her out somehow.

The loud music hit his ears. He glanced around, and found her soon enough, despite the lights being dim. She was standing on the other side of the room with a drink in her hand. At the moment, she was alone. Had Jean been familiar with this sort of situation, he would perhaps question it. Instead, he just leaned on the wall near the entrance and observed.

Kelly was watching the group of her companions, who were nearby. They all were chatting, and she seemed forgotten. Considering they had just convinced her to tag along, Jean thought they were dicks. If they included her in their conversation, perhaps Jean wouldn’t have to burden himself with guilty conscience, since there would be no room for him to step in. He’d also be unable to carry out the assigned task, though.

He took off his hoodie and tied it around his waist while he was looking around for anything useful. Grabbing a half-empty glass of beer that somebody had left on one of the stand-up tables, he headed towards Kelly, trying to be as relaxed as possible.

“Hi,” he said, smiling. She really did have crescent moon earrings, and Jean briefly wondered how Levi would know something like that.

She turned to him with a mild expression of surprise on her face. “… Hi?” she tilted her head.

“You’ve changed since back then,” Jean said, surprised that his voice was firm. This was a dangerous card to play, but he wanted to lower her guard quickly to make sure she’d go outside with him, thus separating from the group. It was helpful that she was intoxicated, but he didn’t know how much, so he needed to be cautious.

“I’m sorry, have we met?” she replied.

“… you _are_ Kelly, right?” Jean said worriedly.

“Yeah, and you are?”

“Jean,” he said truthfully. The music stopped and only the voices of people could be heard.

“So, how do we know each other?”

“You might… not know me,” Jean looked away sheepishly. “Same high-school, different class. It was only by chance that I saw you here. I was on my way out, but…” he trailed off.

“Oh, I get it,” Kelly giggled. “You’ve liked me since then, and couldn’t pass up the opportunity to talk to me.”

Turning red in the face worked in his favour. She leaned closer to make sure he’s blushing, then she chuckled. “You’re cute, you know that?”

Another song began and Jean winced. It was unpleasantly loud. Kelly noticed. “Are you okay?” she asked with genuine concern. Jean’s throat clenched painfully. Poor girl. She was older than him, and yet she was so easily deceived. But… for Eren, Jean had already made his choices.

“Actually,” he replied, “I have a bad ear, and it hurts with loud noises. That was why I was about to leave,” he added. “The music here is too much.” He was surprised that such a lie popped up in his brain. It was one after another, and he felt a little worse with each.

Kelly pursed her lips briefly. “O-kay, let’s go outside, then,” she suggested. “It’ll be bad for you if you stay here for too long, right?”

“You sure?” Jean said. “You came here with friends, right?”

“Former classmates,” Kelly scoffed. “What friends. They asked me to tag along, but look at them, they don’t care. I wanted to go home. But then I wouldn’t meet you,” she flashed a smile. “Come, let’s go.”

Jean put the beer down somewhere along the way. Kelly was making this too easy, but since beggars can’t be choosers, he went along with it.

“So what did you like about me?” she asked once they were outside. Jean shrugged and looked at his shoes, casually making his way down the street, dragging his feet to avoid suspicion. Slowly, slowly, so that she wouldn’t notice anything, he led her towards the car.

“You were cute,” he answered after a few moments.

“Even with the braces?” Kelly giggled again, and Jean felt worse and worse by the second.

“You still _are_ cute,” he murmured, avoiding the question that might have easily become a trap, since he knew nothing about her.

“Aww, thanks.” Kelly stopped and looked at the sky. They were only a few steps from the car. Jean glanced around, and since the street was devoid of people, he stepped closer to her, grabbing a hold of the knife in the pocket of his jeans.

She was just a step ahead of him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fricking English doesn’t have the words I need. In my language, there’s a word that means “changing your parking location so that it’s more favourable for you”. Why doesn’t English have that?! (Lol.)


	9. There is no better dessert than a well-flamed intermezzo

With heartbeat quickened, Jean reached for Kelly’s mouth with one hand, simultaneously pressing the cold blade of his knife on her throat with the other. She froze up in shock, and as she was significantly shorter than him, he could feel her shiver in his arms. Again, he felt guilt gnaw at his bones.

_Think of Eren. If I do this, we can be together. Nobody else is worth anything._

“Don’t you dare scream,” he whispered, “understand?”

Kelly was silent, and so Jean took that as a yes. He half pushed, half dragged her towards the car and with the knife still pressed against her throat, he opened the door with the other hand, then shoved her inside. She didn’t try to run away or resist him – she was still out of it when he got in as well, and only started to try and defend herself when he loomed over her.

“What are you doing?!” she attempted to punch him, but Jean caught her fist like it was nothing; the hit packed hardly any power, and Jean was quite confident in his strength.

Without answering her, he grabbed both her wrists and pressed them together against her chest, leaning on them to prevent her from struggling, then he clumsily reached for the rope he had prepared beforehand.

“If you want to have sex with me, this is not—” she started, but he interrupted her as he began tying her hands together.

“I’ll pass. And trust me, I’m not happy about this, either.” He turned around to tie up her legs as well. “But I don’t have a choice, Kelly.”

She attempted to hit him with her bound hands, but the only result was a silent grunt from him, and even though she tried to kick him at least, the narrow space inside the car and her intoxication made it impossible.

Once he had somewhat secured her in place with seatbelts, he took her purse from her and climbed to the driver’s seat. After a few moments, she asked quietly, “What do you mean you don’t have a choice?” Her voice hinted she was tearing up, but was desperately trying not to.

“Back in the bar, I lied,” Jean turned on the engine and glanced in the rear view mirror. “Tonight is the first time I’ve seen you.” _Eren. Eren… this is all for Eren_. For the last time, he checked the address in the text, then deleted it, as instructed. Then, he wore his hoodie and fastened his seatbelt before moving the car onto the road.

“Why?!” she sobbed.

“Hell if I know,” Jean growled, eyes on the road. “This wasn’t my idea.”

“Did Stephan send you?” Kelly blurted out suddenly. “This seems like the kind of sick joke he—”

“Probably not,” Jean shook his head. “Who’s Stephan? Your ex?”

“… Yeah. So he didn’t…” her voice faded out. There was a while of silence, then she repeated her prior question. “Why?”

“Like I said, I don’t know why or who wants you.” He thought about it briefly. “And if I were to guess, you’re gonna be handed over several times before you end up _where_ they want you.”

“What is going on,” she breathed out, and Jean grabbed the wheel tighter. Her voice was helpless, scared, begging for help, and there was nothing he could do if he wanted to follow the deal he’d made with Levi.

“All I know is,” Jean glanced in the mirror again and quickly looked away, seeing that she was now crying, “it didn’t have to be me.”

She went silent, and Jean, not sure if it was because of what he’d just told her, kept on driving.

He hit the brakes with a start when Kelly’s phone started ringing.

“For fuck’s—!” He glanced to the back to make sure Kelly was okay, and saw her trying to unfasten the rope on her hands with her teeth. She stopped when he turned back, her eyes widened in horror.

Swallowing hard, Jean swerved to the side of the road and stopped the car there, then climbed to the back again. “Listen,” he started, “I’m not gonna hurt you. Okay?” His hands were shaking, and he knew he wasn’t convincing at all, especially since he’d threatened her with a knife earlier. “As… as long as you behave.” His voice cracked as these words began leaving his mouth – it was something Levi would say, and Jean had heard the boss say it a number of times. To strangers, to Jean, or to Eren.

With that thought, he hesitated briefly, though his hands didn’t let go of Kelly’s wrists. Should he let her go? This was a good opportunity. He was scared of becoming like Levi, and if he let Kelly leave now, he could still…

But with Kelly gone, his chance to even see Eren ever again might disappear as well.

The phone went silent. Jean clenched his teeth and after considering his options, he pulled her hand above her head and tied them to the grab handle on the car door, desperately trying to ignore that Kelly was now crying a river.

When he got back into his seat, he sighed heavily. This was nerve-wracking, and the longer this went on, the shittier he felt.

“Look, I’m sorry,” he said after a good twenty minutes filled only with Kelly’s sobbing.

“Then let me go,” she choked out between gasps for air.

“I can’t. I have considered it,” Jean admitted reluctantly, “but I just can’t. It’s impossible for me. Sorry,” he muttered hurriedly, then he finally climbed back to the driver’s seat. Starting the car was much harder than before.

“But w—how would they know if—”

“If I couldn’t get you where I’m supposed to,” Jean said, “I’d be punished. But,” he didn’t want to look in the mirror anymore, but he did anyway, “if they found out that I had you and then I let you go, I’d be as good as dead.” He didn’t know for sure, but Levi was not the forgiving kind, and his patience was usually thinner than rice paper. Jean doubted that Levi would do anything to Eren if Jean failed – but Jean would be of no use to Levi if he couldn’t fulfil assigned tasks. And as far as Levi was concerned, Jean was simply a company asset, to be rid of if needless.

Jean wouldn’t have to die. But, and that was certain, regardless of what his punishment would be, he wouldn’t be able to meet Eren ever again. And that was about as bad as dying. Only now was he realising just how strongly he felt for Eren, and it was a little scary.

There was yet another long pause in which neither Jean nor Kelly said a word. Jean glanced in the mirror every once in a while to make sure she’s not trying to free herself again, but she just lay there motionless.

Jean had to avoid the centre of the town, since having a bound girl in the backseat would definitely turn some heads, even at this time of the night. Therefore, he drove slowly through the empty streets the long way around, hoping that there would be no difficulties along the way. If he were to have a run-in with the cops, no excuse would pull him out of this mess.

Once more, a phone rang and Jean hit the brakes. This time, though, it was his phone – the one from Levi. Clumsily, Jean picked up, staying on the road.

 _“You got her?”_ Levi asked without beating around the bush.

“Y-Yeah,” Jean glanced to the back again. Kelly looked at him and her eyes widened; apparently, she understood she was being discussed.

_“Any damage?”_

“No, she’s… fine.” Jean hesitated. “Um… boss?”

_“What?”_

“What’s… going to happen to her?”

For a fraction of a second, there was silence, then Levi replied sternly: _“This sort of information is above your pay grade.”_

“You don’t pay me,” Jean objected, but Levi’s response made him regret that sentence immediately.

_“Eren is your payment. If you’re not content with him and some cash for food, I can take one of these away. And since I’m feeling generous, I’ll let you pick.”_

Jean clenched his teeth. “Sorry, boss. I have no further questions.”

 _“I’m glad you understand.”_ Levi’s tone seemed mocking, and Jean’s hand squeezed the steering wheel tighter. _“Oh, and hurry up. She has to be there before dawn.”_

“Right.” Not wanting to talk to Levi any longer, Jean ended the call and dropped the phone onto the passenger’s seat, then gripped the wheel with both of his hands. The car clock’s digits shining through the dark let him know that it was quarter to four in the morning. He wasn’t sure when the sun was going to rise, but at this point, he wasn’t _that_ far from their destination.

Of course, trying to justify what he was doing by his feelings for Eren was futile. Even so, he desperately wanted to convince himself that Kelly was going to be more or less alright. He didn’t believe it for a second, though.

The address led him to a fairly ordinary-looking house. Definitely not a place where Jean would look for possible kidnappers. There was a small front yard and a swing, there were neatly cut bushes and the grass beside the short, tiled path was like a golf lawn. The lights were out and nothing was giving off any signs that this was the right place. There was even a garden gnome sitting on the lawn.

Jean got out of the car, locked it just to be safe, and walked over to ring the doorbell.


	10. Trapping a young, naïve buck

The door opened. To Jean’s surprise, instead of someone unknown, it was Levi who stood there, looking at Jean with an expression that could mean many things, or nothing at all.

Levi walked out and without a word, he held out his hand. Jean was briefly confused, then understood what was being asked of him, and handed over the car keys.

“Go inside and wait,” Levi instructed Jean and walked past him, not sparing him a glance. Jean nodded and made his way towards the door, just barely dodging out of the way when another man rushed out. Seeing that the man was headed towards Levi, Jean ignored him and entered the house.

It surprised him a little when he met with a pleasant interior. It’d make him feel a little better if there were at least a hint of tobacco smell, or if the hallway were messy. The house, however, seemed clean and tidy, and there was a pleasant, homely fragrance.

Jean took his shoes off and walked in cautiously; there was a door at the end of the short hallway and light was coming from under it. Hesitantly, Jean grabbed the door handle and opened it.

There was a table and five chairs around it; one of these chairs was occupied. The girl who was sitting there eyed Jean wordlessly, then gestured at him to sit down. She was a tall brunette, with a ponytail and rather stern facial features. Her eyes were resting coldly on Jean’s face.

Not entirely sure what was going on, Jean sat on one of the chairs nervously, and unsuccessfully attempted to appear less tense than he actually was. The girl didn’t say anything to him, and instead got up when the door opened again. It was Levi and the other man, and they were carrying Kelly, who was still tied up.

They sat her down on a chair and proceeded to free her wrists and ankles, then they sat down too, one by one.

“Well?” Levi said.

“Wh—” Jean started, but was interrupted – and it was Kelly who spoke.

“Not the worst I’ve seen.” She rubbed her slender wrists; they were slightly reddish. “He was very nervous, and maybe because of that, he talked with me a tad more than he should have. His method was a little too obvious, and he used barely anything he had in the car at his disposal.”

Jean shuddered. So… this was just a test, to see if he could do it. To think he was so scared… He gulped, glancing at Levi, who was ignoring him. The boss’s face was unreadable again. Cold droplets of sweat began forming on Jean’s forehead, and he realised that his heartbeat was just as quick as when he had to kidnap Kelly. The boss was now going to judge him based on Kelly’s report,

Kelly continued. “He avoided main roads, and didn’t pick up my phone. Though he seemed like he wanted to let me go, he followed his orders. For what it’s worth, he’s loyal.” She sniffled, more tears welling up in her eyes. “He stopped me when I tried to free myself… Oh, he didn’t fall for the braces trap. And though he was chatty, he didn’t reveal anything too specific. He’s a creative liar, too. I set it up so that he’d have to improvise a bit,” she added.

All eyes around the table turned to Levi. The boss glared at Jean and narrowed his eyes. “Pass,” he said in the end.

Kelly exhaled, and the man next to Levi relaxed in his chair. The brown-haired girl got up and walked over to Kelly. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, don’t worry,” Kelly replied. “I’ll go take out my contacts.”

“Before you go,” Levi said, “let me introduce you. Reiner, Ymir, Historia. This idiot’s name is Jean. As you might be required to cooperate at times, I suggest you try getting along.”

“Okay,” the girls answered, and then, they left the room together. Reiner leaned on his elbows.

“Contacts?” was Jean’s first question.

“Ah, yeah. Coloured ones, to make crying easier.” Reiner pointed at his face. “Her eyes are actually blue.”

“Huh.” Jean was unsure what to say. As far as he knew, these people were the ones who would do Levi’s dirty work, and even though he’d become one of them, he had no desire to bond. “So you guys…” he started, and suddenly didn’t know how to continue.

“… crossed?” Reiner filled in for him, then gave a crooked smirk. “Yeah. Past the point of no return. Not Historia, though.”

Levi, clearly uninterested in their conversation, got up and left them to their devices; Jean heard the outside door open and close. The boss had left the building.

“So… if Historia isn’t a part of this, then… why would _he_ ,” Jean pointed over his shoulder in the direction Levi went, “get her involved in this?”

“She used to be like us, and was offered the same, but didn’t pass the test. After that, I’m not sure what happened,” Reiner shrugged his shoulders, “but she’d be the test from time to time. The boss doesn’t give her any other jobs, and since it doesn’t happen often…” he hesitated. “This is her home, actually.”

Jean was quiet for a while. “What am I supposed to do now?” he said in the end. He had many other questions, but he felt like he shouldn’t pry too much.

The door opened and Ymir passed through the room; as she was walking by Jean, he noticed an odd marking on the right side of her neck. It caught his attention because Reiner had the same one. “What’s…” he began, but Reiner got up suddenly just as a hand fell on Jean’s shoulder.

Levi moved like a ghost. Jean did not hear him return, but there he stood, staring him down. “Come with me,” he said and his tone left no room for objections.

Without a word, Jean got up. Reiner watched him and the expression he was sporting did not quite put Jean at ease.

Levi led him out to the hallway, and to another room. Once Jean entered, he knew what the boss had in store for him. He hesitated and Levi, who could hear Jean stop in his stride, glanced back.

“What?” he said, and there was a hint of mockery in his voice, “Chickening out?” He moved over to the desk near the wall. On it, there was the reason for Jean’s shock – a number of tattooing tools.  Levi turned his back to Jean, and reaching behind the tattooing equipment, he grabbed a pair of rubber gloves.

“You’re branding us like cattle,” Jean breathed out, staring at the boss in sheer disbelief.

“I am,” Levi didn’t bother with excuses, “since you belong to me. You know that you belong to me.”

“Why put it in such a visible spot?!” Jean protested. “That’s a dead giveaway!”

“That’s exactly why,” Levi said.

“What?!” Jean snapped, still agitated. Levi, however, didn’t explain, and instead, he gestured at Jean to sit down on the chair near the desk.


	11. It never rains, but it pours

With heartbeat drumming wildly in his ears, Jean crouched behind some trash bins and held his breath, pressing his back against the wall. His hands were shaking, and when he clutched the small metal case he had stuffed under his jacket, he couldn’t hold back a silent cuss.

He had no idea what was inside, but it better be worth it.

He curled up more when he heard a pair of footsteps quickly heading in his direction.

“The fuck did he go?!”

“Hell if I know! He couldn’t have gotten far!”

The two men ran past him and disappeared behind the corner at the end of the alley. Finally breathing in, Jean scrambled up to his feet and ran the opposite direction the two of them came from.

He wasn’t entirely sure why they were chasing him, but they pretty much jumped out of the shadows like a Jack from his box during the exchange, so the meeting ended very abruptly and Jean and the other party ran off, each on their own. Jean hadn’t got a clue as to who his pursuers were, and he doubted such knowledge would help him in any way.

The metal case under his clothes didn’t make a single sound as Jean ran down the street. The two men who were chasing him cut off the shortest route to the address he was supposed to bring the item to, and he’d only looked up the fastest way, so now he only knew the general direction in which to go. There were no people around to ask. Even if they were, they would probably refuse to talk to such a suspicious person at this time of night.

He leaned on a wall to catch his breath. Next, he should turn left, and then he’d probably be on a street that’s parallel to the route he was meant to go before… Probably. Hopefully.

If only he knew what he was carrying, maybe then he’d run with a lighter heart. He couldn’t stop wondering about the contents of the box, but all he could think of were drugs, and he didn’t like the idea of that in the slightest. Even though the boss himself told him some time ago that he had no intention of selling narcotics, Jean wasn’t quite sure that he could trust Levi.

Not that he remembered Levi ever lying to him, but how would he know if everything the boss said was true?

He lightly touched the right side of his neck. He, too, was now branded; not knowing what it really meant for him, he felt deceived. Levi didn’t explain a thing, treated Jean like he was a bother, and after he gave Jean the tattoo, he kicked him out, only telling him to put some ice on it before he locked the door.

It still hurt to the touch and was red and swollen. He couldn’t sleep because of it, and tiredness had already started gnawing at his heels.

Taking a deep breath, he decided to keep going. After all, he’d been running for quite a while, across several districts, and was now so close. And if he managed to deliver whatever he was entrusted with, a reward should be awaiting him back at the HQ.

Before that, though, he wanted to get a good night’s sleep for once. Levi had deprived him of it cruelly, and because of lack of rest, Jean felt himself getting weak in the knees.

Eat, sleep, then hug Eren and cuddle. Contrary to what Levi believed, Jean didn’t really need more than that. Usually it was Eren who talked his boyfriend into something more.

Jean never complained, since he loved the kisses they shared. He had only found gentleness and warmth after he got close to the beast held captive; before that, he was cold and alone, and he faced the world with resentment. Now, there was nothing and no-one else he saw. Even if Eren wasn’t human, even if he wanted to be with Levi in _that_ way.

Jean was perplexed that he in fact hated the latter much more than the former. Of course, he’d never hate Eren – but the fact that Jean was not the sole centre of Eren’s affection was extremely… Extremely what? Jean didn’t know what to name this emotion. He struggled with a helpless jealousy over actions that could not be undone, over words he never got to hear. Infuriating wasn’t the right word; he felt caged, knowing that he could not say a thing about matters long vanished in the abyss of time.

It didn’t matter that Eren was a werewolf.

It didn’t matter that Eren liked Levi.

Whom did Eren like more? That was the one question that just wouldn’t stop bugging Jean. He could somewhat understand that Eren was attached to Levi, but—

“Found him!”

Rapid footsteps.

 _Shit._ Jean picked up speed, hurrying towards his goal. He was aware that running directly to the place would be ill-advised, since the last thing he needed was to give out the identity of Levi’s contacts, so he made a sharp turn at the nearest corner, hoping to lose his pursuers again. Right at the moment, he was likely just a block away from the place, and he really hoped he might be able to hide there for a few minutes at least.

Since hiding in piles of trash had proven to be effective, he quickly jumped into a side alley and ducked in between some trash bags.

Oh gods, what a stench.

A man ran by him just a few moments later.

To hide there for too long would be dumb, so Jean got up and was about to make a break for it. Suddenly, someone grabbed him and dragged him back down. It was due to shock that Jean forgot to make a sound.

“What—”

“Shh,” that someone shushed him. “Wait.”

After several seconds, the second man ran past. He was wheezing, and unlike the first one, he seemed very out of breath.

Once they were gone, Jean turned around. An old man was sitting there; he was probably homeless, dressed in layers of dirty rags, and his beard seemed to be stuck together into a nearly solid mass. There was something on his head, and even if Jean were absolutely lacking common sense, he’d be reluctant to call it a hat. Before he grabbed Jean, the boy had no idea the man was present. He blended in perfectly with the pile of trash.

“Come,” he got up, looking at Jean, “let’s get out of here before they return. They’re gonna backtrack for sure, ya know.”

“… Okay,” Jean got up too. He followed the old man reluctantly; at this moment, he’d welcome a way of finally escaping the two guys on his tail.

The old man limped his way out of the alley and across the street. There was a yard of some sort, encircled by a brick wall, with a metal door which seemed to be impenetrably locked. Jean glanced at the man, confused.

The old man grinned and leaned to the door, hitting it twice quickly, then once, then twice again.

The lock clicked, and the door opened inwards without a sound. Another man stood there, just as ragged as the other one, except he didn’t have anything covering his bald head; he gave the two people outside a questioning look.

“Come, come,” the old man grabbed Jean’s forearm and pulled him along. They disappeared inside and the other guy locked the door. The hatless man locked the door again.

Suddenly, Jean felt extremely nervous.

“I’m Ollie,” the man said, “and this chap whose head looks like a flippin’ knee is Pete. We can help you.”

“Why?” Jean said, narrowing his eyes.

“’Cause we owe yer boss a favour,” Ollie said, tapping the right side of his neck. “So we help when we can.”

“Ah… the tattoo,” Jean understood. Pete nodded wordlessly.

Now that Jean was a little calmer, he glanced around. The yard seemed to be inhabited by more than these two people; there were four unstable shelters by the sides, and in the middle a barrel with fire.

“So, where ya headed?” Ollie tilted his head, showing a smile full of holes.

“I… have a delivery to make,” Jean said begrudgingly, then told the two the address.

“A’ight,” Ollie patted his shoulder, “we’ll let you out the back. You’ll take a left, then a right, right again, and there it is. Make sure they see your neck before you go inside, ‘kay?”

“Do you not want anything in return?”

“ _Well,_ if ya could spare a coin—” Ollie began, but Pete gave him a nudge. Ollie pursed his lips. “Okay, sheesh, cut me some slack. Come, kid, let’s get a move on.”

Soon after, Jean was out, heading down the route Ollie described. He didn’t have the time to question what Ollie told him, but it hardly surprised him to learn that the boss had his puppets even among the homeless.

The building at the end of the route seemed fairly normal – a block of flats like any other in this part of town. However, when Jean stepped towards the door, he noticed there was no doorbell, and more importantly, there was a security camera.

As soon as he stepped close enough, a light flickered on. Jean looked straight into the camera, and remembering what Ollie told him, he tilted his head to show the tattoo on his neck.

The electronic lock buzzed and the door opened when he pulled at the handle.

Biting his lip nervously, he stepped inside.

A male guard was standing there, arms folded on his chest and an unfriendly look in his eyes. “What business do you have here?” he growled threateningly. Not that he had to go out of his way to appear menacing – his posture and how he towered a good two heads over Jean made him look scary enough.

“A delivery,” Jean shrugged as casually as possible.

“Who sent you?”

Jean pointed at his tattoo. The man narrowed his eyes, then said unhappily, “Okay, follow me.”

They began walking up the stairs; the guard would glance at Jean from time to time, and the boy sensed hostility from the man. Jean assumed it was connected to Levi and his influence on the city.

The guard stopped at a door and knocked on the wood.

“Yes, what is it?” a female voice responded from the other side of the door.

“You have a visitor, boss,” the guard said with a great deal of respect in his voice.

The door opened. “That must be my—” she stopped halfway through the sentence and eyed Jean from head to toe.

Jean looked away instinctively, and noticed the guard did the same. Under normal circumstances, he would have no trouble looking her in the eye, but she was beautiful, and the fact she was wearing a semi-transparent negligee didn’t help his current predicament. He wouldn’t dare guess exactly how old she was, but she was surely an adult woman.

“Well, aren’t you a cute one,” she said once she was done evaluating him. “Come on in.”

Jean stepped inside, inspecting the floor intently as he walked, not daring to look at her. For one, he felt it was disrespectful towards her, and additionally, he was Eren’s boyfriend, so to even look at someone else was something he had no intention of doing.

“What’s your name?” she asked the moment the door clicked closed behind them.

Jean glanced around the room. The only escape route was the door behind him – the window was high up above the ground, and there were no other exits. The room itself was luxuriously furnished. It was clear that the woman had a taste for golden and red accessories and decorations. Even her negligee was red, nonchalantly flowing with her curves.

Only one lamp illuminated the place.

“Does it matter?” he said in response, reaching inside his jacket to take out the small metal box.

She received it eagerly, her hands trembling with anticipation before she grabbed it. She turned her back to Jean before she opened it.

“Oh, the gall of that man,” she exclaimed, her voice showing both disappointment and a hint of excitement, “he never gives in, does he?”

Jean kept silent. It wasn’t like he knew how to answer that. She glanced at him, pausing briefly, then she said, “Maybe you could keep me company instead?”

Jean blinked several times, utterly confused. “I.. don’t follow.”

The lady showed Jean the content of the box. At first glance, Jean could only see an amazingly beautiful jewellery set, sparkling in the dim light of the room. The second glance explained a little, though – on the inside of the lid, an ornate NO was engraved.

“He went out of his way to refuse my offer in this way,” she said, her eyes sparkling with mirth. “No matter how often or in what way I attempt to convince him, he just doesn’t bend.”

 _Of course he doesn’t,_ Jean replied internally, not wanting to speak in case he’d get in trouble. He didn’t know what kind of offer it was – it could have been anything, starting with a business contract and ending with marriage. As long as Levi was disinterested, it hardly concerned any of the people working under Levi, though.

“Still, these are superb.” She took an earring and held it up against the light. “Even though he dislikes dealing with me, he upholds his part of the deal.”

Jean still kept silent. So far, she hadn’t said anything that would matter to him.

“You see,” she didn’t stop talking, “these are collectors’ items. They’re one of a kind. You won’t see this kind of cut anywhere else.”

Jean shrugged his shoulders. In his current predicament, he couldn’t care less about gemstones since they weren’t his own. At this moment, he had the impression that this lady was trying to make him interested either in herself, or at least the gems; perhaps she wanted him to desert in order to spite Levi, but Jean wasn’t going to leave Levi and his organisation behind.

There were several reasons for this. The first and most important one would be his parents’ debt, and he was almost certain that’s being slowly taken care of by him working for Levi. Second, nearly just as important one was Eren. There was no way in hell he’d abandon the guy he loved with all his heart. And lastly, if he ran off now, he’d likely get killed – and it was possible that his relentless boss would send Eren himself to do the dirty deed, and then things would get nasty.

Levi had all the trump cards in his hand, while Jean had none and thus he had to remain loyal.

“You seem disinterested,” the lady accused him.

“I’m sorry if I’ve disappointed you,” Jean replied.

She set the earring back down and stepped closer. “So,” she asked, “how come you were sent across the entire city with a priceless treasure in the pocket of your adorable jacket?”

“I’m sure anyone would do,” Jean answered. That was partially a lie, though – his hunch was that Levi knew Jean would carry out _any_ task just for a chance to at least talk to Eren. The fact that some people began chasing him as soon as his contact took the metal case out meant that these jewels were either stolen, or those people _wanted_ to steal them. The jewellery could even have been smuggled in through the border. And Levi had the gall to drop that item into the lap of a boy barely grown.

“Nonsense,” she denied that immediately. “I’m more inclined to think that you somehow matter to him.”

“I suppose that could be true,” Jean gave a wry smirk, “though that depends. What way are we talking about, exactly?”

“Are you close with your boss?” she wouldn’t let it go. Her hands reached up and she combed through his hair with her fingers.

 _Aha, so that’s your angle,_ Jean understood. _You want me to be a rat._ For now, though, he just there silently, waiting for her to actually say it.

“How about you and I have a little chat over there,” she cupped his cheek with her hand. “I could offer something great.”

Jean glanced the way she was suggesting to go. There was an open door and through it he could see a bed in the other room.

“Ah, um…” he said, slightly flustered, even though he had expected her to pull something like this. “I—I’m taken…”

“Taken for granted?” she smiled, and Jean wasn’t comfortable with how disarming that smile was. “If you don’t tell, it’s not like your girlfriend is going to mind…”

“Not a girlfriend.” Jean shook his head firmly. “A boyfriend.”

The lady froze briefly, then stepped back. “Oh. Well, that explains a lot.” Her smile hadn’t disappeared, but it became much more business-like. “I suppose I’ll just tell you here, then. What a pity. I’ve always had a soft spot for young and inexperienced boys like you.”

Jean kept quiet.

“I could offer you a nice sum of money every month, if you… kept me informed about Levi’s plans, especially those concerning this side of the city.” She eyed him, tilting her head.

“Are you going to kill me if I refuse?” Jean asked, not nearly as worried as he thought he should be. After all, he’d already had his funeral once. This time, who would shed a tear?

Only Eren, perhaps – if, and only if Levi would let him know that Jean was gone.

“Of course not,” she shook her head, an expression of shock on her face. Jean was sure she was just acting, though. As far as he knew and considering everything he’d seen and heard up until this point, she was someone like Levi, and hence any misstep could easily lead to an eternal sleep with the fishes.

“In that case, my answer is no,” Jean said.

“Why?” she wondered. “I’m sure Levi isn’t paying you much. Your clothes seem like they’ve seen better days, and those shoes, oh, darling, for how long have you had them? Even though he entrusted you with such expensive gems… To think he wouldn’t take care of his subordinates, how awfully inconsiderate.”

“I can’t betray him,” Jean frowned slightly.

“What a shame.” She pursed her lips. “I’ve paid him in advance, so you can leave now.”

“Just like that?”

She nodded. “Just like that. I’ve nothing against you, boy. If anything, I think it’s admirable that you’re so loyal. You didn’t even let me tell you how much I could give you.”

“I’m sorry,” Jean said, his face not letting on any emotion whatsoever. “I… it’s a little personal.”

“Personal?” she leaned closer, suddenly intrigued.

Jean smiled, but there was not a trace of happiness in his expression. “There is not a single person in this world whom I would hate more than him.”

“You’re an odd one,” she shook her head in disbelief. “Well, off you go, I have no use for you.”

“Alright. Have a nice evening,” he threw over his shoulder and did not bother to hide that he was in a hurry to leave.

“Say hi to Levi for me,” she called a split second before the door closed.

The guard was still standing there, and the moment Jean stood before him, he growled: “You done? That was quick.”

Jean gave him a glance. “I didn’t do it with her, if that’s what you’re getting at.”

“You didn’t?” the guard seemed mildly shocked. “Why?”

“I wasn’t interested. And, more importantly, I didn’t want to make any promises I couldn’t keep.” Jean looked the guard square in the eye as he stood atop the staircase. “I couldn’t accept her offer.”

“Hmmm.” The guard’s caterpillars of eyebrows kissed at the root of his nose. “You know, I shouldn’t tell you this, but there are some cops patrolling the are right now, and it seems like they’re looking for you. Be careful. I’ll let you out the back,” he sniffled, “but there’s not much else I can do.”

“Why shouldn’t you tell me about that?” Jean narrowed his eyes suspiciously, and he began descending.

“Well, boss said that after you’re gone, you’re on your own,” the guard shrugged, following Jean. “Don’t ask me why. I don’t understand what she’s thinking half of the time.”

“So why are you helping me instead?” Jean questioned.

“Because you seem like an honest guy,” the guard explained. “And I don’t dislike that. Though I do think you’re gonna have it hard if you stay in this kinda job.”

They stopped at a door, and the guard unlocked it with a key he had in his pocket. “This one has to be opened manually,” he murmured and it sounded like he was complaining. Then, he held it open for Jean.

“Thanks,” the boy said, briefly stopping on his way out.

“Hmm. Don’t get caught, kid.”

The door slammed closed and there was the sound of the lock clicking again.

Jean sighed, eyeing the empty street. No sign of any movement. That was good.

The way back was going to be _such_ a pain.

He started running. While he was inside, he had rested a little, but he knew his tired body wouldn’t hold out for as long as it had when he was on the way here. He wanted to cover as much distance as possible; as soon as he was out of the area that was being patrolled, he’d call a taxi, but right now doing such a thing would be too much of a risk.

Unsure which way exactly he should go, he sort of headed in the direction he knew he should follow.

The sound of his footsteps was echoing through the streets. Except for that, the night was oddly quiet and he did not like that in the least. Sure, he did manage to avoid his pursuers twice, but should the streets really be _this_ empty?

When he made a turn to get closer to the streets he knew, that question got answered as someone jumped out of the shadows and tackled him to he ground.

The stranger pinned him down and grinned victoriously. “Gotcha.”


	12. Falling Prey to His Desires

“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” Levi was sitting in his chair, legs crossed and arms folded on his chest. Jean was standing in front of him, and feared the impending doom in Levi’s eyes. Even though the boss was sitting and Jean was thus standing tall above him, there was something hovering in the air that made Jean feel like he was shrinking with each passing second.

Eren was curled up by the wall and it seemed as though he was asleep. Jean really wanted to blame Levi for making Eren sleep on the ground, but he somehow knew that Eren was likely the one who wanted to sleep there.

Jean stopped looking at the motionless figure of his boyfriend. “I don’t know what you expected,” he defended himself in a small voice, “I was lucky enough to get away from them on the way there.”

Levi sighed heavily, rubbing his temples as though he had a headache. “This is the first time one of my pawns got delivered to me in a police car. You never cease to amaze me. Lucky enough to get there?” he repeated after Jean, then stood up. “You should thank fortune that the idiot who caught you had an educated senior with him. If he turned out to be another newbie, you’d be doomed and I would have to get you back. You have no idea how much of a hassle that is. You’re not an adult yet, and that has its pros and cons.”

Jean swallowed hard. “I’m sorry,” he said, realising that was probably the best thing to say given the situation at hand. He was tired, too tired to argue.

“Not yet, you’re not,” Levi shook his head. “But you’re going to be. Take your clothes off.”

“I—What?” Jean couldn’t believe his own ears.

 “Are you not only dumb, but also deaf? Take. Your. Clothes. Off.” Levi was obviously very unhappy that he had to repeat himself.

Jean’s brain analysed that command and the gears in his head began turning. He suddenly understood, and in that instant, he was bathing in unease. With heartbeat drumming wildly in his ears, he begrudgingly did as he was told; Levi’s intense gaze felt as though it was burning through his exposed skin.

Soon, he stood there in naught but Adam’s garb, a blush of embarrassment and humiliation staining his cheeks. Levi eyed him from head to toe, and with an unreadable expression, he said, “Go wash yourself. And while you’re there, shave from waist down.”

“You _cannot_ be serious,” Jean breathed out.

“Look at my face,” the boss growled, “does it even remotely look like I am joking?”

Jean shook his head reluctantly. “No,” he murmured.

Levi nodded curtly. “Go.”

Taking an unsteady breath, Jean hastily dressed again and staggered out into the hallway to briefly stop by his former room before heading to the showers. He should have just gone back to the abandoned house, even though it was quite far from the HQ. It was foolish to hope for any support from Levi’s side.

Unfortunately, he had not had any choice in the matter. The cops let him out within earshot from the HQ, in a place where anybody from inside could see him; the residents of this building were watching out for any car passing by, just in case, and a cop car could hardly go unnoticed. If he had decided not to go in, Levi would call him and he wouldn’t be able to avoid the questioning anyway. There was no getting away.

He briefly entered what used to be his and Armin’s room, and found that nothing had changed. Armin was gone, likely on some errand, and Jean was glad that he didn’t have to explain himself to anyone.

Grabbing his towel, razor and soap, he ran out of the room and as quickly as possible, he made his way to the showers.

Warm water hit his face and Jean was glad to feel it. He wasn’t as fastidious about hygiene as Levi was, but the past two days he hadn’t seen water besides the bottles he had bought, and he certainly was filthy. Dust and grime was clinging to his clothes and skin, and since he had been running a lot tonight, he was sweating profusely. All things considered, he was about as clean and fragrant as Ollie. After all, he and Ollie _did_ share the same trash bag bed, albeit briefly.

Unfortunately, once the water washed the soap and dirt away, Jean was left with one last task, one which he was not looking forward to.

Levi had said something about a hairy ass at some point, but Jean would never have expected this to happen. Certainly, he _was_ ready to be fucked if it meant to be closer to Eren, but that was a topic they had covered back on the rooftop, and no punishment was involved then. Now, rather than doing such a thing in order to get closer to Eren, Jean feared he was going to have to agree to it in order not to lose Eren.

He shuddered, hoping that Levi was not going to drag it out for too long… and preferably, that Eren was going to be involved, at least.

“Waist down, huh,” he muttered into the sound of water. Pursing his lips in annoyance, he grabbed his razor and began shaving. He knew that Eren, too, was smoothly shaven, and there was no questioning that it was that way because of Levi. Eren had to bathe on daily basis, and Jean knew that Levi’s room had a bathroom attached; sometimes, during their secret trysts, Levi’s room smelled the same way Eren’s hair did. There were also a few occasions when Eren’s hair was damp, and since Eren wouldn’t leave the room on his own accord, there was just one explanation.

“Ow. Shit,” Jean cussed, discovering he had nicked himself a little. The water stung in the tiny cut on his knee as he stood there, wondering how he should do the rest without feeling like a complete failure.

After that, he wanted to leave, then realised there was one more place to try and wash as much as he possibly could.

Eventually, he was done, standing outside the shower stall, with nothing but a towel wrapped around his hips. It felt weird down there, sort of breezy, and there were small cuts on his skin here and there, as he had never done this before.

His clothes were in the laundry, and thus he, having brought nothing clean to wear, had little choice but to run through the building wrapped in only the towel he had.

Bracing himself, he quickly made his way back to Levi’s room. He was just glad that there was currently nobody awake on the way between the showers and his final destination.

He entered without knocking, clutching his towel nervously.

Eren was now awake, and apart from the collar – which got tighter since last time – he was naked, resting on the bed leisurely. There was something alluring about the way he presented himself, bold, yet seemingly innocent. He wasn’t _trying_ to be seductive, and that worked much better for Jean than the opposite.

“Kirstein.” Levi stepped towards Jean from the side; Jean, who was mesmerised by Eren and the way the lamps’ light reflected on his boyfriend’s pallid skin, yelped in surprise when Levi grabbed the towel and pulled it off of his hips, throwing it over the nearby chair as he eyed Jean again.

Jean stood up straight, collecting himself. He was dead tired, but even if he should hold together by sheer power of will, he wasn’t going to show weakness. Regardless of whatever Eren might say, to Jean, Levi was a rival in love and an enemy on all other accounts. If it weren’t for Eren, Jean would have probably left the city already, or at least tried to.

“Can I at least ask why?” he looked at Levi.

There was no explanation needed.

“I’ve told you that I might develop an _interest_ if you’re not careful.” Levi gave Jean a glare.

The boy shivered. Exposed as he was, he felt more vulnerable than ever. “You said I would be allowed to be alone with Eren,” he objected weakly.

“You fucked up and escaped just because there was an experienced officer present. If there were two newbies, you’d now be in serious trouble, and consequently, I might get inconvenienced.” The corner of Levi’s mouth sank. “Plus, I’ve put time, effort and money into raising you, training you and teaching you the ropes. Should you disappear one way or another, all that would go to waste… and I’d have a hard time explaining Eren that you’re not ever going to appear again.” With that, Levi raised his hand and slapped Jean across his face. “Selfish bastard. You can’t be asking for reward if what you deserve more is punishment.”

Touching his reddening cheek with hand trembling, Jean bit his lip, fighting against the urge to cry. Levi was not one to make an empty threat. Jean knew that, but somehow, he had hoped that at the very least, the boss would be reasonable in this matter. Although, thinking about it, Jean realised his hopes had been pointless, since Levi was a rotten pervert through and through.

“Jean.” That voice was like divine music to Jean’s ears, soothing and pleasant as opposed to Levi’s harsh tone. He looked at Eren, who was sitting on the bed, with one hand reaching out.

Eren’s expression was hard to read, but Jean guessed that Eren was trying to save Jean in the only way he could think of. Inhaling deeply to get some strength, he turned away from Levi and stepped towards Eren, taking a hold of the hand extended out to him.

Eren acted as though there were only the two of them, pulling Jean into a hug. Jean squeezed Eren hard, just briefly, to recharge; the warmth of Eren’s skin was reassuring and calming, and in that instant, Jean wished that time would stop and so they’d never have to let go of one another again.

After perhaps a minute or two, one of Eren’s hands slid low to feel up Jean’s thigh. Jean heard a shaky gasp, and when he glanced at the other, he saw that Eren was blushing. Slowly, he cradled Eren’s head in his hands and pulled the werewolf idiot into a kiss.

Gods, how he needed this.

He pushed Eren down, and was about to touch Eren to his heart’s content, but then he hesitated and looked around. Levi was sitting in his chair, his gaze fixed intently on the two of them on the only bed in the room – _his_ bed. Contrary to his usual behaviour, he did not say a word about them being there; instead, he raised an eyebrow in a voiceless question.

“What am I… what do you want me to…” Jean wasn’t sure how to ask.

“You two have fun. I’ll join you once you’re prepared,” Levi replied.

Jean gulped, glancing at Eren, hoping to get a hint or something.

Eren lay still for a few seconds, then he sat up and leaned to Jean’s ear to whisper, “Let’s do a sixty-nine. I’ve always wanted to try that.”

Jean inhaled sharply upon hearing those words. He wasn’t too happy about the audience in the room, but… “Okay,” he said almost inaudibly in fear of his voice betraying him. Immediately, his heart was running a mile a second.

Eren lay back down, his expression so happy Jean himself couldn’t help getting steadily more excited. He quickly moved so that his face would be between Eren’s legs, as he knelt over Eren. Ordinarily, he would have preferred them to be reversed, but at this moment, he was following Eren’s lead.

“Here is completely bare,” Eren commented and Jean closed his eyes for a few heartbeats before he lowered his head to tend to Eren’s erection. It twitched happily when he kissed it, and he parted his lips to lick his fingers before he swallowed Eren’s dick. His wet digits slipped in between Eren’s butt cheeks, and Eren moaned in response.

Jean tensed up a little when he felt Eren’s hands on his ass. Eren was groping him shamelessly, and the shaven skin there was more sensitive than usual. It was strange, and a little scary, but he could taste Eren’s arousal and knew that Eren was most likely on board with the whole ‘Jean’s-deflowering’ thing. Jean himself had thought about it once or twice, but if he were to do this kind of thing, it would be _without_ the third wheel.

He choked a little when he felt Eren’s fingers rub his entrance.

“Can I…?” Eren asked, not wanting to go further without Jean’s direct permission.

Jean didn’t want to. Not like this. However, as he didn’t really have a choice, being at the boss’s perverse idea of mercy, he hummed in hesitant approval.

He grunted when Eren slowly pushed a finger inside of him.

“Did you do this yourself in the shower?” Eren said, sounding a little short of breath.

“Yeah,” Jean lifted his head for a moment, “I had to… clean.”

“Wow,” Eren whispered. “Hot.”

Jean turned red in the face; hearing this made him oddly happy. He returned to licking and sucking on Eren’s cock clumsily. The fingers up his ass were distracting as all hell, but he was trying his best to keep going.

“Hey,” Eren said suddenly.

“Hng?”

“Sit down,” Eren said, patting Jean’s ass lightly. Jean was unsure what to expect, but slowly did so, sitting down on Eren’s chest. Eren’s hands pulled Jean’s butt cheeks slightly apart, and a chill ran down Jean’s spine when he felt the touch of tongue.

Never had he expected Eren to eat him out.

It was too weird, and Jean couldn’t focus very well. At this point, instead of using his fingers for something better, he was just desperately clutching Eren’s thighs in the hopes that it would start feeling good sooner or later. He was hard, but only barely, and since was scared that if he took Eren into his mouth now, he might accidentally bite down, he was just sort of curled up atop Eren, letting the other take care of everything.

It was frustrating in a way how Eren had no shame whatsoever when it came to his desires. Obviously, only one person was the cause of this, and it was also Levi’s fault that though Eren had no trouble admitting that he was a horny little beast, he wouldn’t talk about how he felt when it came to his relationships.

Eren’s fingers entered him again and Jean whimpered. It was faint, but Eren immediately paused. “Are you alright?” he asked with concern.

Jean, who was very much not alright, breathed out strenuously, “How long do I have to endure this?”

“I mean… it’s going to hurt if you’re not relaxed enough,” Eren sighed, pulling his fingers out slowly.

“Just…” Jean inhaled shakily, taking extra care not to even glance in Levi’s direction, “… k-keep going, then. Until you think it’s fine.”

“Hurry up,” Levi interjected. “I’ve got things to do after this.”

Eren kept silent while he pushed his fingers back in as carefully as he possibly could. Jean was glad that Eren couldn’t see his face at the moment; he couldn’t understand how or why would anyone come to like this.

Then, Eren’s fingers grazed a spot Jean didn’t know existed inside of him. It was an extremely sensitive place, and being teased there went straight to his cock. “Wh—” he didn’t manage to ask, as the sensation ran through his entire body when Eren did it again.

Shakily, Jean brought his own fingers to his mouth to lick them, not wanting to be the only one being teased. Eren grunted softly when Jean inserted them again.

Jean wasn’t sure how much time had really passed when suddenly, he glanced up subconsciously and saw Levi standing next to the two of them. He was shirtless, and his fly was open. There was a prominent bulge in his boxers.

Jean inhaled sharply. For a while, he had forgotten; he got too engrossed in Eren, and the discomfort had faded, so when Levi appeared so suddenly, it startled Jean.

This was the first time he’d seen the boss without his shirt.

_Shit._

“E-Eren,” he stumbled over his words, “I—I think it’s okay now, so—”

“You sure?” Eren stopped. “Okay then,” he pulled his fingers out and watched Jean back away from the edge of the bed. Then, he sat up, reaching between his legs; he was hard and leaking, even though Jean had stopped touching him there a long time ago.

Jean watched Eren do so, and bit his lip nervously.

“Come here,” Eren said sweetly, reaching out to Jean.

Jean complied, figuring that now was the time to enter and be entered. Up until this point, he wasn’t entirely sure how it was going to go, but if this was the outcome, then it was better than the alternative – he’d rather not be without Eren.

Wet warmth embraced his erection and he breathed out slowly, closing his eyes. Eren’s hands grabbed his head and pulled him down for a kiss, then Eren muttered against Jean’s lips, “Don’t go limp on me now, okay?”

Levi’s hands grabbed Jean’s ass and pulled his ass cheeks apart as much as he could. Jean whimpered, diving into another kiss with Eren hungrily in order to distract himself from what was happening at his rear.

Levi thrusted into him in one go, and Jean threw his head back, crying out as tears welled up in his eyes. It still hurt, but not as much as he thought it would. Even so, it wasn’t pleasant and the way Levi’s fingers were digging into his skin wasn’t making it any better.

“Jean,” Eren whispered, “it’s okay. Come on,” he cupped Jean’s cheek with his hand and gently wiped a tear away with his thumb, “give me a kiss.”

Taking a shaky breath, Jean moved his head down to do exactly that, knowing that this was Eren’s way of comforting him.

Levi was still for a while, letting the two of them kiss. Only once he found it boring did he move. “Fuck,” he let out through his clenched teeth into the sound of Jean’s startled voice, “you’re so tight.”

Jean closed his eyes, and as tears rolled down his cheeks from them, he blindly leaned down, wanting to kiss Eren more, enough to make them both lose their breath. Inside Eren was warm and welcoming; if only Levi hadn’t had this sick idea of punishment. Focusing on his breathing, Jean attempted to synchronise his own thrusts with Levi’s somehow – holding still wouldn’t allow him to stay hard for long.

Eren moaned and embraced Jean tightly. This hindered Jean’s movement, but there was no way in hell he’d complain if he could feel Eren’s warmth. Even the relentless hands on his hips and the dick up his ass were suddenly less of a burden. Clumsily, he kissed Eren’s cheek, ear, nape, jaw, lips. It didn’t matter where, as long as it meant to touch Eren more.

Eren pulled Jean’s face to his own again. Ever since the very start, he seemed to like kissing a lot, and so Jean now, with brows furrowed both in discomfort and deep concentration, was doing his best to deliver.

Levi shifted his hips a bit, and Jean cried out when the boss, though accidentally, hit the spot Eren had previously teased. It scared Jean to feel it this much all of a sudden; Eren noticed, too, as the tremor ran through Jean’s entire body. He tightened around Jean, his fingernails scratching the other boy’s skin.

Jean, feeling himself getting near, gave in to his instincts and thrusted his hips without thinking much about it, wanting to come.

He didn’t expect Levi to pull out all of a sudden, and he came inside Eren at the same time he felt warm liquid hitting his back. He collapsed onto Eren heavily, shivering, his dick still inside Eren’s ass.

Levi promptly got off the bed, and there was the sound of a door clicking, as the boss likely went to the shower.

Jean slowly and weakly got up on his elbows, looking at the panting boy underneath him. “Sorry,” he breathed out, “I came inside, and you didn’t even…” his gaze fell lower. “You did?”

“Yeah,” Eren smiled softly. “Don’t worry about it.”

Jean exhaled in relief and pulled out, sitting up. The quickly cooling semen dripping down his back was unpleasant, but right now, there wasn’t much he could do. He wasn’t going to hop in the shower with Levi, no way in hell. More than that, he wanted to wait and see if he could get in there with Eren instead.

Eren sat up and hugged Jean tightly. Only now did Jean realise how shaken he felt. This comfort was something necessary – Eren seemed to understand that better than Jean himself. Jean thus embraced Eren as well, not wanting to let go; his body started trembling again. The brief moment of concern for Eren had erased everything else, but now that Jean was not worried, he felt like shit and couldn’t run away from that fact.

“Jean… are you okay?” Eren patted his head gently, whispering.

“That was a line I never wanted to cross,” Jean murmured into Eren’s nape. “Especially if it’s him. If it were you, I might consider it, but this…” he shuddered, remembering the feeling. If he focused, he could recall exactly what it was like to have Levi inside. “Do you… always feel like that?”

“Like what?”

Jean paused, looking for the right words. “Invaded,” he said in the end. “Violated.”

“Not really,” Eren hugged Jean tighter, “I like it. You don’t have to worry about causing me discomfort.”

Jean thought about it. True, when Eren was the one taking care of Jean’s rear end, it wasn’t as unpleasant as when Levi acted ad libitum. Jean’s skin in regions he’d rather not get specific about was stinging, and Jean was certain he had chafing from Levi’s trousers.

“Why do you think he _really_ did it?” he whispered in the end. There was no way the boss would have just randomly fucked anyone; under the pretext of punishment, they had a threesome, but there had to be a deeper reason. The fact that Levi didn’t shoot his load inside Jean wasn’t adding up much either – if this was meant to be a punishment, Levi wouldn’t have a reason to make sure to cum outside.

Eren’s gem-like eyes locked with his, as they looked at one another. “I don’t know,” he replied. “It’s hard for me to understand him, too. But…” he hesitated, “maybe… maybe it would be better to ask him directly.”

Jean didn’t answer. Cradled in Eren’s arms, he had fallen victim to his exhaustion; when Eren attempted to move him, Jean snored lightly.


	13. Lost inside one's own head

Levi had left the bathroom, now clean, and saw the two boys sitting on the bed motionlessly. Gesturing without a word towards the door he’d just exited, he frowned a little.

“He’s asleep,” Eren said apologetically, still hugging Jean in his arms.

“Don’t care,” Levi shook his head. “Wake him up, or something. If it dries on him, it’s going to be gross. And you should wash too while you’re at it. He came inside you, didn’t he? Well, do as you like, but don’t blame me if it upsets your stomach later.”

“You shouldn’t have done this,” Eren murmured. “It didn’t do any good to anyone.”

“Then, what do you think I should have done?” Levi replied sourly. “If anything, this should serve as a distraction.”

“He doesn’t need one,” Eren protested weakly. “It’s not right.”

Levi shrugged his shoulders. “I’ve got various reasons,” he said. “You only know of one. Speaking of, don’t you dare tell him. If he finds out, it shouldn’t be from you.”

“But then he’ll hate you even more…” Eren understood Levi was insinuating that Jean should hear the unpleasant news from Levi himself.

“It’s better for him to have someone to hate,” Levi added, not looking at them at the moment, as he picked up his shirt and draped it over himself.

“I don’t… understand,” Eren wanted to raise his voice, but was afraid he’d wake Jean up, so he just shook his head.

“Of course you don’t,” the boss, done with his shirt’s buttons, stepped to the bed and leaned in to place a chaste kiss atop Eren’s head. “But you don’t have to.”

Eren looked up at the boss, who stood there, watching them up close. There was something in Levi’s expression that made him hesitate a great deal before he asked, “Are you… ever going to tell us… why all this?” He let those words out tensely while gently thumbing over the tattoo on the side of Jean’s neck. Even though Jean hadn’t told him anything yet, Eren was quite aware of what was going on, and really, he liked it about as much as Jean did. However, unlike Jean, he was certain that Levi wasn’t doing any of this because of such a petty reason as jealousy.

Levi’s steely eyes were serious. “In due time,” he said. “Once either of you is… ready.”

“What do you mean?”

Levi’s expression was blank, and instead of giving a reply, he kissed Eren’s forehead again and turned away.

Eren watched him in great confusion, but decided to keep silent, as the boss grabbed his jacket as well and left the room. Though open kindness had never been in Levi’s nature, Eren was convinced that the boss had to be concerned about Jean.

Once the door had clicked shut and Levi’s footsteps had vanished in the distant echoes of the corridor, he nudged Jean’s stomach. “Hey.”

No response, aside from a louder snore. The poor boy must have been exhausted, considering how he fell asleep the moment he had been allowed to relax.

“Hey, horseface,” only now did Eren speak loudly. “Wake up.”

“Nh?” Jean’s eyes reluctantly peeled open, and it took him several seconds to focus.

Then, he sat upright abruptly. “Where’s—” he glanced around, clearly startled.

“Gone,” Eren gave a disinterested shrug. “Come, we’ve got to wash up.”

Jean tensed up. He had no clothes there, and to go butt-naked back to the common showers was something he’d rather pass on, especially since the morning sun could already have brought out a handful of early birds – and there was no freaking way he’d want to be discovered by anyone. As far as he was concerned, this was something that absolutely _had_ to remain between the three of them.

“I… I’m—” he started, but Eren, who wasn’t patient enough to wait for Jean to say it, jumped off of the bed, dragging Jean along by his hand.

“Come on, you can tell me in the shower,” he said, and hauled Jean uncompromisingly towards that door in Levi’s room that Jean had never entered. Jean, not really having the strength to resist at the moment, just went along with it.

He had halfway expected the bathroom to be a big, luxurious one; if it were true, it would certainly add to the list of reasons why dislike Levi as a person. Unfortunately (or fortunately, Jean wasn’t really sure about that one), the bathroom was just as ordinary as the common showers. It was definitely cleaner, and there was just one showerhead, but there was no difference in the style. Plain pattern-less tiled floor and walls, a towel rack, and a shelf to put toiletries on.

Eren took his collar off and threw it outside to make sure the chain wasn’t going to obstruct the door, then he closed said door behind himself and turned to his boyfriend. “Don’t just stand there. Are you still half asleep?”

Jean nodded meekly. Perhaps there used to be times when he’d bicker with Eren over this, but right at this moment… “I’m exhausted,” he breathed out.

Humming in a vague response, Eren made Jean sit under the showerhead. “Don’t move,” he instructed and turned the water on.

“I can…” Jean tried to protest and was about to get up again, but Eren was not having it. And so, Jean weakly sat where he was, letting Eren do whatever.

Eren turned the water off again, grabbed a bottle of body wash, and having squeezed some of it into his palm, he spread it over Jean’s wet skin. Wordlessly, he gently massaged Jean’s back, shoulders and neck. Jean found himself relaxing into Eren’s touch, and soon he was leaning backwards, his eyes half-lidded, as he was about to fall asleep again.

“Hey,” Eren shook him a little. “You can sleep later, but I’ve got to wash you first.”

“Yeah. Sorry,” Jean yawned. There was no way he’d tell Eren that his rear was generally in pain, beginning with the chafes which were now stinging due to contact with water, and ending with everything deep inside. He was still sensitive and his body, having received such an unpleasant shock, would tremble from time to time. To make matters worse, he was quite sure that were he to walk a longer distance, his hurting ass would, in an unfortunate addition to his aching legs, make him limp like a cripple. “Are you really okay?” he turned to Eren, “With the… with my…” His voice faded out.

“Ah, yeah. I’m going to get it out later, don’t worry,” Eren reached for the faucet again. “After we’re done with you.”

Under Eren’s care, Jean was soon clean, and then he got pushed out of the bathroom so that Eren could take care of things in private.

For a few moments, he just stood there, naked as he was, and wondered what to do. He’d bolt for his room, but he was painfully aware that his speed was at least halved due to what had happened. Each step was harder than the previous, and he wasn’t too excited about having to run past Hange’s lab and upstairs to the end of the corridor. Worse, should he meet anyone on the way, there were no words he could use to explain whilst also saving face. At night, Armin had not been in his room, but if he got back in the meantime, then Jean was bound to run into him, at least. Worse yet, there were girls in the building as well.

He glanced around the room. There was a closet there, but Jean was very reluctant to open it. In the best case, there were going to be Levi’s clothes, far too small for him to wear – not to mention the boss would probably kill him for wearing anything of his’. In the worst case, and Jean didn’t like how high the possibility of that was, there were going to be some sort of… kinky whatnots Jean didn’t even want to imagine.

Sighing heavily, he grabbed the towel in which he had arrived, wrapped it around his hips, then peeked out the door.

The corridor was empty. Jean swallowed hard, as he stepped out, closing the door as quietly as possible. The cold floor wasn’t pleasant against his bare feet, but as they were very sore, it wasn’t as bad as it could have been – the coldness provided at least some relief.

As quickly as he could, he made his way towards the staircase at the end of the corridor.

Then, he heard his name.

It came from behind the closed door of Hange’s lab; Jean, against his better judgement, stopped at the door and pressed an ear against it to listen.

“I don’t care what your reasoning is,” Hange was currently saying, her tone agitated. “You made him run all over the city, he’s gotten barely any sleep and I don’t know how much he has or hasn’t eaten proper food. He’s seventeen, for crying out loud! You’re overdoing it! If he gets sick, it’s going to be your fault!”

“So you’re saying I should go easy on him?” Levi replied, and it was clear that he wasn’t too eager to agree with Hange. “How’s that going to work? He’ll die. You know how this world is.”

“He’s going to die at this rate anyway,” Hange retorted. “You wouldn’t make Eren do any of this, would you?”

Only after several moments of silence did Levi reluctantly say, “ _Fine_. I’ll let him rest.”

“That’s not what I was saying,” Hange said, still audibly upset. “If you want to train that kid, you have to give him tasks with gradually increasing difficulty, not just throw him into a river and expect him to know how to swim.”

“Alright, alright,” Levi snapped at her angrily, “I got it. More importantly, are there any news yet?”

“About what?”

“Jean’s mother’s situation.”

Jean twitched and it was by sheer luck that he did not announce his presence; Levi’s words hit him like a whip. Even if he had not been able to check up on his family, he still obviously cared very much. Now there was something going on, and not only did he not find out on his own, he was kept in the dark by Levi, likely on purpose.

“Her condition is stable, but that is all I know. They didn’t want to let me in, since I’m not a relative or a close friend.”

Levi sighed heavily. “I guess I’ll have to go there myself, then.”

“Your visit isn’t going to help,” Hange warned him. “You know that, right?”

“Sure, sure.” Right now, it was obvious that Levi was not going to listen to Hange on this one.

Jean stepped away from the door. He had heard enough – enough to be furious, incredibly angry with Levi’s selfish actions.

At the very least, as a son, he should have the right to know what was happening with his parents.

Gloomily, he made his way back to the room and fell face-first on his bed, not bothering to cover up, still only wrapped in the towel. He really wanted to think about what happened, but his body was so worn out that the moment he hit the bed, he was already falling asleep.


	14. Tough love-induced sickness

Jean rolled over, groaning. His body felt weak and sluggish, and though he was wrapped in his blanket, he felt cold on the inside; he was trembling all over, and every time he shivered a little stronger, his head took him for an amusement park ride. Not that he’d ever been to any sort of amusement park, but he imagined that some of the attractions would make his world spin in a similar way.

Suppressing his dizziness somewhat, he closed his eyes and hoped that the crazy colours dancing behind his eyelids would calm the fuck down. He attempted to focus, wanting to think over the things he had heard recently.

Hange had mentioned ‘training’.

Jean kept thinking about it over and over, from every angle, back and forth.

Training for what?! What in the fresh hell did they want him to do?! What was Levi planning?!

The door opened and Armin walked in. Upon seeing Jean in bed, he exclaimed his name, jumping closer. “Jean!”

“Shuddup,” Jean said under his breath, “my head’s killing me.”

“Sorry,” Armin said sheepishly. “Where have you been all this time? What’s going on?”

“Nobody told you anything, eh,” Jean chuckled exhaustedly and rolled over again, even though his body was strongly against it.

“No,” Armin shook his head. “Who would be telling me in the first place?”

“Ah… right.” _Not like anybody knew._ “Sorry.”

Armin hesitated, then reached out to touch Jean’s forehead. “You’re burning up,” he said worriedly.

“No wonder I feel like shit,” Jean murmured. Yesterday, Hange had berated Levi and told him that Jean was going to get sick at this rate.

Jean wished her words wouldn’t have come true. He had thought that the way his muscles ached and his head was throbbing was caused by the late night trip and Levi’s disregard for Jean’s comfort. Even if Eren had attempted to ease Jean’s emotional pain, there was nothing he could have done to alleviate the physical strain Jean had to go through. Combined with lack of sleep and hunger, the exhaustion hit him with the force of a loaded truck and his body declared a shut-down.

“What’s that on your neck?” Armin wondered.

“Don’t ask,” Jean said heavily, closing his eyes. The tattoo wasn’t painful anymore, but the memory was still vividly burnt into his brain. The memory of the boss’s poker-face while he was tattooing Jean, and the knowledge that if there ever had been any bridge leading back, the tattoo had destroyed every bit of it.

“Okay,” Armin got up. “I’m going to get you some help.”

Before Jean could stop him, he was gone.

Jean curled up. He felt horrible, and was drenched in sweat from the heat emanating from his own skin, but he was certain that should he uncover himself, he’d be cold immediately.

Not to mention that he was completely naked under the covers. Somehow, in his sleep, he had managed to wrap himself up in the blanket, and thank fuck for that, but right now, even though he was awake, he didn’t have nearly enough strength to get up and grab at least a pair of boxers.

His entire body jerked violently when the phone he’d received from Levi rang. Weakly, he reached out to grab it, but failed. It was too far. He had left it on his desk before he went to the shower last night, and now he couldn’t bring his arm to stretch far enough to get it. The boss was going to have to wait.

Minutes passed. Jean couldn’t sleep, even though he’d love to, and he wasn’t even sure what time it was. There was no window in their room, and Armin had turned the light out when he was leaving. Jean stared into the pitch blackness and wondered for how long he had slept before he woke up. It couldn’t have been more than a day, surely – Levi wouldn’t have let him slack off that long.

At this thought, a sudden realisation hit Jean.

Why was Levi so focused on Jean?

It made no sense once he stopped to think about it. The boss wasn’t one to waste time on pointless matters, and sure enough, he never bothered as much with the others as he did with Jean. Armin, for example, had no conflict with the boss, and he didn’t seem to have any trouble with him either. Though Jean was unsure about Armin’s background, it was clear that Armin didn’t seem to be of as much importance as Jean was.

Not to mention that all things considered, Levi _should have_ killed Jean the moment he learnt of his and Eren’s affair. Jean wasn’t valuable in terms of earnings, nor was he valuable in terms of usefulness in the field. Eren would certainly be very sad if Levi did that, but Jean felt that it wouldn’t have any major influence on Eren’s relationship with Levi. Assuming that would be the reason for letting Jean live, it didn’t add up at all.

Something fishy was going on. Levi seemed to have plans for Jean, and the longer Jean wondered about it, the less he liked it.

The door opened again and the light flickered on, temporarily blinding the sick boy. Jean blinked several times, trying to ignore the sharp pain inside his head.

Levi was standing above him, dressed in a formal suit. His face was as dark and unreadable as ever.

“Boss,” Jean said and attempted to at least sit up, but did not manage to. His body felt as though it was made of lead, heavy and unresponsive.

“Damn four-eyes was right,” Levi said more to himself than anyone else, then he continued slowly, making sure that Jean would hear him. “I haven’t gotten around telling you yet, but your mother is in the hospital.”

“Wh… What happened to her?”

“Acute appendicitis. She’s had her operation and is now recovering, but it seems that she’ll be in the hospital a few more days.”

“Why haven’t you told me,” Jean tried to sit up again and repeatedly tasted failure.

“It would distract you from the task at hand,” Levi said.

“Why tell me now?”

“Because I’ll be adding the costs of the operation and related fees to your debt,” Levi replied, not batting an eyelash. “I’m visiting her in several hours and I’ll let her know that her hospital bills have been covered. Is there any message you want me to pass on?”

There was a pause, in which Jean pondered. “Tell her I’m sorry,” he breathed out eventually. “Please.”

“If that’s all you want to say, I’ll be going,” the boss stepped back. “Don’t expect me to tell her something so pathetic, though.”

Jean pursed his lips. “There is nothing else.”

Levi briefly stopped at the door. “I’m going to tell Hange to check on you.”

“… Ng.” Jean didn’t manage to say anything, and as soon as the room went dark with Levi leaving, he curled up yet again, struck with the urge to cry. He was upset, upset with Levi for keeping him in the dark, upset with himself for his inability to help anyone, upset that he couldn’t even help himself and was dependent on the people around him. This moment of absolute weakness horrified him – if this were to happen again, at a time when he’d be out there and safety would be naught but a dream, with nobody to help him, he’d die for sure.

With that thought, he finally managed to sit up.

Since he remembered the layout of their room, he stumbled towards his closet and only by touch he found a set of pyjamas. He rarely wore them, but he’d die of embarrassment if Hange came to examine him and found out that he had been forced to shave everything down there.

He was just buttoning his shirt when the door opened and Hange stood there, carrying a first-aid kit. The light flickered on again and Jean’s knees gave in; just barely, Hange managed to jump to him and catch him mid-fall.

“This is bad,” she said immediately and dragged him back towards his bed. “You shouldn’t be up and about in this state.”

“I…” Jean wanted to say something, but Hange wasn’t listening to him. Pulling out an infrared thermometer and some medicine, she looked at him, sitting down on the edge of his bed.

“I don’t know what he’s thinking, making you run like that,” she shook her head as she measured Jean’s temperature. “You’re running a fever.” Covering Jean with his blanket, she added, “don’t you dare get up unless necessary. You desperately need rest. I’m going to ask Armin to watch over you, too.”

“It took him long to get you,” Jean murmured, lowering his eyelids.

“Ah… that was Levi,” Hange replied hesitantly. “He wanted to talk to you first.”

“What’s his deal?” Jean said, and he felt that he was again nearing the breaking point where tears would fall. Usually, he would have suppressed them, but he was so tired…

“I don’t know,” Hange said. “I don’t understand him, either. I don’t think anybody does.”

Jean only hummed in response. What Hange said was absolutely true. Perhaps, perhaps the boss didn’t understand himself, either. Some of the actions he had taken seemed insanely illogical.

There was some rustling and then Hange placed something pleasantly cold on Jean’s forehead.

“Hey,” Jean said, “Before…”

“Hm?”

“No, never mind…” Jean’s voice trailed off. He couldn’t very well ask Hange about any of the things weighing his mind.

The unknown training for only gods knew what; not like he could admit that he had eavesdropped. That could lead to unimaginable consequences he’d rather avoid.

Why in the world would Levi even want to plough Jean’s ass. He was a clean freak, so even in the unlikely case of having some kind of… _feelings_ for Jean, for him to do this was unlikely. Additionally, Levi was obviously far from having _any_ sort of feelings for Jean besides contempt and Eren-related jealousy. However, this couldn’t have been revenge, either. Had it been, Jean was certain he’d recognise it. As Levi had previously said, Jean was not hated. There was little space for revenge.

The fact that Levi kept Jean’s mother’s hospitalisation secret, and that even though Jean ended up having to pay for it, Levi went out of his way to cover the bills despite not having been asked to. Jean knew that his parents weren’t particularly well off at the moment, but they would have toughened it out and simply tighten their belts a little for the time being… and since they were people who learned from their mistakes, then surely they wouldn’t ask Levi for money again.

Yet Levi helped anyway.

He had never informed Jean about the state of the debt, either. Jean didn’t know if the previous debt has been dealt with, or if there was any left. Not that it mattered at this point, seeing as the tattoo bound him to Levi for the rest of their miserable lives.

Hange’s gentle voice was reassuring. “You’ll be better in no time,” she said, “and once you are, he’s not going to be so harsh anymore. I spoke to him about it.”

“… Thanks,” Jean muttered, adding, “though I don’t understand why you’re being so nice. You’re his right hand, aren’t you? Shouldn’t you be… I don’t know, more like him?” Speaking seemed to exhaust him, so he went silent.

She chuckled. “His right hand? Oh, no. I wouldn’t dare. He doesn’t have one. If it weren’t for Eren, it’s possible that he would have no use for me.”

Jean didn’t understand how she could laugh at this. She seemed to read that from his expression, since she continued, “What I mean is, I wouldn’t be by his side. He’s funding my research, and he’d probably do it even if I weren’t a part of the organisation, because in the loosest possible sense of that word, we’re friends. But I feel that thanks to Eren, I can support him. There’s a co-dependency of sorts, I suppose.” She got up and tucked Jean in. “But that doesn’t mean that I have to be the same sort of person as he is. I don’t always agree with what he does, you know? Well, not like I can speak up unless it concerns me, though.”

“But you do go to meetings and such with him, right?” Jean asked.

“I suppose, but that’s simply because he finds a lot of people annoying, and he tolerates my presence. Do you know how much he actually has under his thumb?” The smile on Hange’s face turned a little bitter. “A good third of the entire city is at his beck and call. The other two, well…” she hesitated. “I’m rambling and you should rest,” she said hastily, backing away. “Try to sleep if you can, alright?”

“Okay…” Jean said tiredly and watched her leave. It seemed to him that there was something she wanted to say, but refrained from doing so. However, his brain muddled by the fever had thrown in the towel and nothing came to mind; thus, Jean decided to do as Hange said. Perhaps after he would have slept, things would turn clearer.


	15. Hic sunt dracones

The arriving morning was the worst villain of all. 

Jean was unsure what time it really was, but as far as he was concerned, it was morning because he had just woken up. He had a splitting headache, and although he felt much better overall and his… places he’d rather not speak of no longer hurt, he still felt weak and he’d  _ love  _ to eat something. His throat was parched, too, and as he stared into the darkness of his room, he realised that before he fell unconscious, it had already been a little too long since he had last drunk anything. It was unclear to him for how long he had been out cold, but considering the burning thirst he was suffering from, it must have been the longest he had ever slept in his entire life.

And they just let him.

He had expected Levi to be the usual asshole, to drag him out of bed and send on some shitty errand again just to be a dick, but that didn’t happen and Jean couldn’t but be suspicious of this odd period of calm and peace which had unfolded. There just  _ had _ to be something coming to bite him in the ass. 

Blindly, he found a pair of slippers he hadn’t used in weeks. He had kicked them under the bed and they just remained there, because neither Jean or Armin even thought of doing something about it.

Praising his own laziness, he trotted out of the room. His initial thought was to head into the common kitchen area, but as soon as he entered the corridor, a pleasant scent tickled his nose.

Pizza.

With his mouth suddenly full of saliva, he turned around and wondered where that delicious, beautiful creation might be. It was dark outside, as it turned out, so the minimum time he had slept was eleven hours, but probably more.

At this time of night, people were either out on missions, or asleep. The only exceptions to this rule were ordinarily Eren, Levi, Hange, and lately Jean himself. Levi and Eren would obviously eat together and Jean was certain that Levi wouldn’t feed Eren pizza too often, since it was unhealthy. 

In the first place, was it even okay for Eren to eat pizza? 

It had to be Hange.

Jean gulped.  _ Hange might share some with me,  _ he thought, and with high hopes, he made his way to the lab. 

The smell of pizza was indeed wafting from that room. He hesitated before entering, but at that very moment, his stomach began vehemently demanding nutrition, and so, Jean raised his hand and knocked on the door.

Hange opened the door, stuffing her face full of pizza. Jean swallowed hard, but only greeted, then waited for her to finish chewing before asking her. With a gesture, she invited him in, and thus he entered the laboratory and sat down on one of the two chairs there, happy that he found a safe zone of sorts. As long as he was near Hange, there was a lesser chance of Levi being a total ass.

* * *

With feet heavy and heart about the same, Jean was dragging himself at a snail pace down the corridor towards Levi’s quarters. After they ate, Hange spoke to him, mostly trying to calm him down, but because he had overheard her discussion with Levi back then, it was futile. He felt like he somebody took his brain on a fun ride on the bottom side of an offroad truck. Seeing that she couldn’t really get through to him at the moment, she performed a simple check-up to make sure he was no longer sick, and let him leave.

What Levi put him through recently made him question his choices. Not that he really had had any, but when Levi had presented him with the one moment when he had to pick one of two options, he felt that there was no reason to reconsider, and he had chosen Eren without a second’s hesitation. That was him then, not knowing what he was really getting into. Even now, of course, he’d choose Eren, because despite everything, he felt for that idiot, and he had promised himself to protect what little he was allowed to love. However, he’d at least attempt to negotiate.

Also, he’d try to avoid getting drilled in the ass. If it happened once, Jean knew he had no guarantee that it wouldn’t happen again – not only  _ that _ specifically, but other things as well. After all, Eren wearing clothes one would hesitate to call anything but revealing, the leather…  _ accessories _ he'd sometimes have on, and the damn collar were obvious signs that Eren's owner, namely Levi, was a rotten pervert through and through. Although it seemed as though Eren didn't mind most of it, Jean was certain that Levi would also do many things even Eren didn't care for.

Eren himself was one as well – a pervert, that is. Jean was still a little bitter about the fact that when he was told to open his legs for Levi, not only did Eren have no objections, he joined in and seemed very much on board with it. 

Jean shuddered, recalling the events of that night, and he slid down the wall to curl up on the ground, suddenly weak in the knees. Just thinking about it made him relive the terrible feeling of being  _ used _ .

Plus…

In terms of physique, Jean wasn’t sure why Eren would even think of sleeping with him. Compared to Levi, Jean was a scrawny boy with barely any muscle under his skin. Before he saw it, he thought that his body was decent, he’d go as far as to say that he was nice to look at; if Levi was more to Eren’s liking, though, Jean stood little chance. The boss was ripped, so much so that it gave Jean a feeling of inferiority, and even worse, he caught himself thinking about Levi’s over and over; they’d flash through his mind on their own accord, accompanied by a faint, but no less guilty twang of unwanted arousal. It wasn’t strong enough to cause any actual trouble, since he’d always chase the thought away as quickly as possible, but now that it came into his focus, he felt warmth rise to his cheeks.

Still blushing like a maiden, he got up slowly and continued his path towards Levi’s room and the unpleasant journey through his own mind. 

Feelings of inferiority because of Levi’s body aside, Jean was worried for a number of reasons which had little or nothing to do with one another. 

One, Eren. While Jean knew well why he liked Eren, he wasn’t sure why exactly Eren reciprocated his feelings. Eren was adorable at times, other times he was enticing, and his kiss-swollen lips and blush-stained cheeks were a well-balanced mix of both cuteness and eros. Back when they could hang out more, he was simply fun to be around; a bit dense, but a funny, accommodating guy who didn’t make Jean feel neither bored nor unwanted, not even once. 

Jean didn’t feel like he had any such qualities. While he liked to think of himself as smart, he was aware that half the time he was dumb as a brick, and there was no way he could compare to Eren’s physical beauty, he wasn’t particularly funny, he was jealous and selfish like anyone, and all in all was just your average Joe with nothing going for him. Even so, Eren said he liked him – well, not  _ really _ , but it was pretty obvious what he meant, and he said it in front of Levi, no less. Jean had no idea what it could be that Eren found appealing, and he felt constantly threatened by Levi, who was indubitably in a much better position.

He felt bad that he couldn’t bring himself to just accept it as it was, take Eren’s word for it, and trust him.

Although… If Eren had intended to reject him, he wouldn’t have accepted Jean in the first place. Even so, Jean couldn’t get rid of his worry and doubt, and it was eating him away inside.

Two, Levi’s goal. Jean still had no idea what it was that Levi wanted with him. What exactly, anyway.  It was beyond obvious that he wanted to use him for something specific, but there were no sings as to what role Jean was to play. There was the training he was somehow meant to undergo, and Jean was sure it couldn’t be anything good. In the worst scenario he could think of, Levi wanted to make Jean into a sex slave; then again, Levi wouldn’t speak about that to Hange, probably. 

Probably. 

Hopefully.

He wasn’t too sure about that, either. While Hange was not afraid of the boss, she fully respected him and knew better than to push Levi’s buttons; even though she seemed to be supportive of Jean’s and Eren’s relationship, she wouldn’t step out of line in order to interfere with Levi’s plans. They would argue sometimes, but Hange knew exactly what she could say and what was better left unsaid. If Levi decided to do that, Jean doubted that Hange would do anything to stop him.

It was also entirely possible that the boss had plans Jean couldn’t even fathom. Levi did many things and Jean knew only of a fraction of them. He didn’t understand who Levi really was, and he was too chicken to ask for details. Obviously, among other things, the boss was a loan shark, and Jean’s family was one of those who had fallen prey to this monster’s jaws. That much Jean knew. He used to deliver notices at night, small slips of paper reminding people to either pay back or face the consequences.

He knew of the consequences. They also depended on the person’s relation to Levi or other criminal organisations, but people would often die. Levi rarely prolonged the period he gave at the beginning of the deal, and that gave him the reputation of a cruel, relentless man – and that, he really was. With such a reputation, people borrowed from him only when they were truly desperate, with very few options left at the time. It scared Jean that Levi was aware of it whenever anyone was in that kind of trouble. He was even told to help contact those people with an offer, though indirectly. He was but a messenger, still unmarked at the time, a boy nobody would suspect of anything too terrible.

Several times, he had witnessed Levi going to certain people directly. He was never allowed to go inside, and he wouldn’t dare anyway… and often, the boss would come out with blood on his clothes. 

Levi was always careful not to get too dirty, but Jean noticed anyway, and he feared Levi’s wrath. There were even rumours that Levi had kicked a man to death. Jean somehow doubted that, because Levi was like a sharp blade and it was not his style to waste energy and time doing such a thing, especially since he would gain nothing from it. Even so, people who had angered the boss chose to walk on thin fucking ice. Jean did not want to be one of those people.

Three, the reason why he was now reluctantly headed towards Levi’s room – his mother, and his debt as well. He wanted to discuss why in the world would Levi pay for his mother’s hospitalisation as well as what he told her while he visited her, even though her own son couldn’t show up. Did Levi excuse Jean's absence? Did his mother ask for him? Did either of them mention Jean at all? Was dad there with them? 

Though he had so many questions, he wasn't sure how many of them could be answered before the boss would run out of patience. If possible, he’d like to discuss both Levi’s plans, and his mother, but he somehow had the feeling that if he were to ask the boss about said plans first, Levi would just tell him to fuck off and wouldn’t let him ask any further.

The problem was, Jean didn’t have any ambition to be successful in this kind of world. He had no desire to become someone really skilled, who would then be called personally and in secrecy to do this or that dirty deed. All he wanted, all he longed for, was Eren’s presence. If he could have that, he’d gladly just be a common thug until an inglorious death he’d meet in some dirty alley in the slums, sent on a fool’s errand. That seemed like a very possible scenario, as long as he managed to stay away from major tasks and major trouble. 

He had been sorely missing the times when he could sneak into Levi’s quarters to sit and innocently hug Eren, to hold him close and to giggle at stupid stuff. He, unlike a certain pervert, intended to cherish the stupid werewolf, and didn’t really need to fuck Eren senseless. He  _ wanted _ to, sometimes, but he felt it was rather inconsiderate to Eren to do him as often as he suspected Levi had the tendency to. Once in a while was fine, and he’d rather fill that time with other things. If it were up to Jean, they could watch a movie together or go out on a date, lie on the grass and count stars above their heads while entwining their fingers and making wishes, and sneak light, barely noticeable touches in public places. They would share a flat maybe, Jean would go to work and Eren would do whatever he’d like to do, not bound by anyone but himself.

That was, unfortunately, merely a fantasy Jean couldn’t even hope to achieve. They both were on this side of things, in the shadows, shackled by rules the boss created, not allowed to do anything but sometimes peek in through gaps in the curtains into the world of light, warmth and freedom. Jean envied the people he saw when he was on errands, boisterous drunk students in the streets and lone office workers going home long after office hours. They didn’t even know what they had, and he, who was lacking it, desired to be in their position so much his heart ached.

Eren’s voice made his train of thought crash. He was now in front of the door – afraid to go in. Because he knew by Eren’s voice that Levi and Eren were doing the unspeakable, his feet were suddenly glued to the ground and wouldn’t move. He didn’t know whether he was allowed to enter under such circumstances, but that didn’t matter. 

He was incapable of moving from where he stood.

Perhaps it was because his body remembered better than his brain did, but Jean was frozen in the kind of physical fear which did not allow one to make a sound, like a small critter in the presence of a predator, not wanting to be noticed. 

With heartbeat pounding loudly in his ears, barely breathing, he bent over and against all sound reason peeked through the keyhole.

He couldn’t see much, but what he saw made his throat clench painfully.

Eren was on the ground, naked, partially transformed. There were pointy ears on his head, sharp-looking claws on his hands and feet, and he was clawing on the tiles, with his face and knees planted on the cold floor. His back was arched and he was shivering feverishly; his own tail was shoved up his backside, and every time it moved, his voice echoed through the room.

Jean swallowed hard. He couldn’t see Levi, but he suspected that the boss was sitting nearby and watching. He did that a lot and this attitude irked Jean to no end. 

Eren moaned a little louder and squirmed helplessly, shifting his position a little. Now, Jean could see his face, reddened and tear-stained; Eren’s eyes were closed and lips parted, and he was breathing rapidly in between his cries and whimpers. 

Jean’s brows furrowed. He hated this, every bit of it, even more so when he recalled Eren back then, when Erwin caused him to be sick. Then, Eren had partially transformed as well, and he wasn’t aware of himself. If that were the case now, then what Levi was doing was inexcusable. 

In that moment, he wished he could run away with Eren. Jump a few cities and start anew together, without this selfish bastard doing as he liked, as though he considered everyone around him either tools, or trash. He’d provide for Eren, care for him in every way, and he’d be so much better than Levi. Perhaps they’d struggle surviving at first, but Jean was certain he could manage to feed them both eventually. 

The overwhelming urge to protect Eren, the seething under the surface, the desire to kick the door open and take Eren away in that instant, leaving Levi behind with his selfishness and perversion… 

Slowly, carefully, he stepped back. 

He couldn’t. If he did that now, unprepared, he’d surely fail. If he were to do that with Levi present, he was likely to die immediately, and Eren might not even go with him at this moment, since he had trouble recognising Jean in this state.

Weakly, Jean sat down on the floor to wait. The sounds from behind his back were infuriating and saddening, and he felt worse and worse with each moan he heard. For Levi to humiliate Eren like this, just what was the boss thinking? How far would he take this kind of thing? It was bordering with beastiality, and Jean wasn’t sure just how much was ‘too much’ for Levi.

Jean had fallen for the human Eren, and just thinking of doing anything erotic with the wolf instead was making his skin crawl.

He heard Levi’s voice, and though he couldn’t make out the exact words, he could easily guess that it was something like ‘come over here’. Eren’s whimpers stopped for a moment only to return louder, and Jean curled up and covered his ears, hoping to block them out. 

Vainly; Eren was not holding back, and neither was Levi. At times, the cries escaping the room seemed slightly painful, though that could only be Jean’s imagination running wild.

It took a long time before the room behind Jean quieted down, but he didn’t dare to knock on the door until much later. His hand was shaking while he did so.

“What do you want, voyeur?” was the first thing Levi said when he opened the door. He spoke under his breath, so Eren was probably already asleep. He was fully dressed, not even the first button of his shirt was open. His expression was as sour as usual.

Colour drained from Jean’s face. The boss knew, but continued despite that?! “It’s not like it’s my hobby,” Jean said with discomfort in his voice. Not like he wanted to see and hear all that. In fact, if he could, he’d gladly erase that particular memory from his brain.

For several moments, Levi wasn’t saying anything, he only studied Jean’s face. “What do you want?” he repeated. 

“I have… questions,” Jean replied uneasily, not really wanting to discuss it. Unfortunately, he felt that he had little choice in the matter.

“About?” Levi stepped out into the corridor and closed the door behind himself. 

“How big is my debt to you right now?” Jean said, looking downwards to meet Levi’s eyes. Doing so made him uneasy, though, so he averted his gaze again.

“Does it really matter?” Levi folded his arms on his chest. “Regardless of your financial debt, you have bound yourself to me,” he said, reaching out to touch Jean’s tattoo.

Jean jumped back as though he was attacked by a snake. Levi, taken aback by this reaction, froze briefly, then he smirked and let his arm fall to his side. “Coward,” he said, this one word falling like a whip onto Jean’s head. “Get back here.”

Nervously, Jean did so, stepping closer until he was within Levi’s reach. Levi’s hand shot up and clutched Jean’s hair; the boy winced when he got pulled even closer. He could feel Levi’s breath on the tattoo, and tensed up moments before the boss sank his teeth into the tender skin. There was a whimper, and Jean closed his eyes, feeling his knees slowly give in. There was nothing pleasant about it, it hurt as fuck and as Jean soundlessly accepted the pain and slid onto the floor, Levi went along until Jean was kneeling. Only then did he let go; he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, running his fingers over the bitemark now circling the tattoo. When he retracted his hand, Jean shakily reached out to touch that spot. It was throbbing painfully. The boss was more of a beast than the one he was keeping.

“Don’t worry about your debt,” Levi said. “It was already gone when your mother was admitted to the hospital, and the hospital fees are something you’ll probably manage to handle with your next task. No matter if you owe me money or not, though,” he added, grabbing Jean’s lower jaw, “you’re mine, don’t forget.”

“Like I  _ could  _ forget,” Jean blurted out, and was surprised to see a hint of approval in Levi’s expression as soon as he said that. 

Levi let go of Jean and took a small step backwards. “Anything else?” he said, likely satisfied with Jean’s reaction.

Jean nodded nervously. “My mother,” the words were harder and harder to let out the more he thought about it, “did she… say anything?”

“She wasn’t too happy to see me,” Levi said slowly, “ but she did ask me about you.”

“And…?”

“I told her you were alive and kicking, though that was probably obvious, since I wouldn’t have come to her otherwise.” The boss shrugged his shoulders. “She's doing fine, just so you know. I couldn’t tell her anything else, I’m sure you understand why.”

Jean, again, only nodded. He had no trouble understanding why Levi did not want someone from the outside to know what was going on on the inside. More importantly, if his mother knew too much, it might put her in danger, directly or not, so it was a good thing that Levi kept her in the dark for the most part. 

Unfortunately, even he, who was on the inside, knew fuck all about Levi’s plans, and that was bothering him. “Um… boss,” he said hesitantly, “there’s one more thing…”

“Out with it, then,” Levi nodded.

Jean hesitated. He wasn’t sure how to put it at first, so there was a pause only filled with silence. Finally, he took a deep breath. “I… I’m under the impression that you’ve planned something, and that you want me to play a part in it.” That didn’t come out as he had intended, but now that he had said it, he couldn’t go back and rephrase, so he just continued, “Would… would you tell me what it is that you want me to do?”

Levi’s eyes became cold. “You’re doing it again,” he said disapprovingly.

“Doing what?” Jean asked, sensing that he shouldn’t have asked after all.

“Being too smart for your own good.” Levi suddenly bent over and leaned so close that their noses touched. “How’d you figure it out?”

Jean inhaled sharply, startled, but didn’t back away this time. He stared back into Levi’s steely eyes, and kept silent. He didn’t want to admit that he had eavesdropped, nor that the conversation he had with the strange lady to whom he had delivered the jewelry had planted a lot of ideas in his head.

Levi, seeing that Jean didn’t want to talk, grabbed his jaw again and moved to the side a little to run his tongue across Jean’s cheek. Jean shuddered.

“Come to my room at sunrise,” the boss said. “Now that you know something is going on, there’s no point in waiting.”


	16. One to Inherit the Crown

Jean watched the landscape pass by, as it was illuminated by the warm orange rays of the rising sun. They’d left the city behind, and though Jean had no idea where they were going, he asked no questions, knowing they wouldn’t be answered at the moment anyway. All he could do was wait.

Eren was sitting with him in the backseat, also gazing out through the window on his side, idly tapping the middle seat between them from time to time. Today was the first day Jean saw Eren dressed like an actual person and it got to him more than it should have, probably, but Eren was just so _adorable_. He seemed to look good in anything, both the skimpy outfits Levi made him wear and those normal clothes he had on now made Jean’s heartbeat quicken, though each in different way.

Jean loved Eren so much more each passing day. There wasn’t a moment he wouldn’t rather spend by Eren’s side rather than doing anything else… yet each day, the time he was allowed to spend time with Eren was cut short, shorter and shorter. At the moment, he thought he should just be content that he could be so close to Eren, but he felt that it wasn’t enough. Eren’s presence was like food to a starving man, like water to a wanderer lost in a desert, like a drug to a junkie.

Sneakily, Jean reached out his hand to touch Eren’s fingertips.

Eren glanced at him briefly, startled, and quickly searched for the boss’s eyes in the rear-view mirror. Levi, however, had his eyes on the road and did not seem to notice anything happening behind his back. Thus, Eren clutched Jean’s hand reassuringly, and didn’t let go. Their fingers entwined, and Jean sighed heavily. He had missed this sort of innocent contact with Eren so much. Lately, there hadn’t been any chances for just the two of them to be together… and Levi was making it worse, surely entirely on purpose.

Truth be told, when Levi ordered Jean to come to his room at sunrise, the boy expected nothing less than being forced to do something perverted. Contrary to his expectations, however, Levi had been waiting for him along with the already fully dressed Eren, and without a word of explanation they just led him out of the building and in the car.

The car swerved to a dusty road leading towards the forest. It wasn’t the same route Hange had taken him when they went to the lab, as Jean noticed.

Just when he was getting tired of watching nothing but trees and wondered whether he should ask after all, Levi stopped the car and turned to the back to look at them. Upon seeing their hands still connected, his expression turned a tone darker as he said, “Let’s go.”

Jean loosened his grip, but it was Eren who only reluctantly let go of the other’s hand.

Soon after Jean got out of the car, he understood why Levi stopped – the path they walked began cutting into the ground and going downhill, and it became too narrow for the car to keep going. Hesitantly, he followed behind Levi and Eren. Not that there was any other choice, he just didn’t like rushing into things headfirst.

The path began to turn serpentine and steeper and steeper as they walked. Their surroundings became darker, as the still too low sun could not shine down here. The path was oddly shaped at times.

Eventually, the walls surrounding them retreated and created a small ravine. Perhaps there used to be water here in the past, perhaps it was the reason it carved this strange place into the rock around them, Jean did not know. It did not matter to him, either.

At the beginning of the ravine, there was a wire fence covered in some sort of grey-greenish fabric, and a gate. Levi reached into his pocket for a key and unlocked it, then he nodded at the more and more distrustful Jean. “What are you staring at?”

“This couldn’t feel more suspicious. Where are we?” Jean finally asked, not wanting to go inside before he could hear it. Again, though he knew that in reality he had little choice in the matter, he simply wanted at least some peace of mind.

Levi narrowed his eyes. “Eren’s training grounds,” he said as he pushed the gate open. It moved without a sound.

Jean definitely did not stop staring as he slowly entered the place, suddenly amazed. He had no idea this place existed – it was like a giant obstacle race, if he ever saw one.

A rustle to his right made him turn in that direction.

Eren was taking off his clothes.

It did not click at first in Jean’s brain, he just watched on in utter confusion. Eren had goose-bumps on his soft skin in the slightly cold morning air, and as he bent over, folding his clothes on the ground, Jean swallowed hard.

Then, as soon as Eren curled up on the ground, Jean realised what was happening; not wanting to see that, he looked away quickly.

The grossest sound he’d ever heard erupted behind him, and a waft of warm air breezed through his hair.

Slowly and cautiously, he turned around.

This was the second time he could see Eren fully transformed. The giant beast watched him, its vibrant eyes with narrow pupils focusing at his face. It took a step closer and bellowed deeply, baring its sharp teeth. Again, in this form Eren seemed not to know who Jean was.

“Eren, down.” Levi emerged from fuck knows where, Jean stopped paying attention to him the moment they’d entered this place. Eren’s ears immediately perked up, and he turned his head to the boss as he lay down on the ground, awaiting Levi’s reaction.

“Good boy,” Levi gave a nod, and upon hearing that, Eren relaxed, wagging his tail. Levi turned to Jean. “Watch carefully,” he commanded, then looked at Eren and snapped his fingers. The beast locked its eyes with its master.

Levi pointed across the field. “Get ‘em,” he said. Jean’s eye followed Levi’s finger and found that at the very end of the area, there was some sort of mannequin. Levi had probably prepared it while Jean was distracted by Eren’s… everything.

Eren did not growl. Silently, without a single leaf making a sound under his paws, he rushed forward, a focused glint in his eyes. It took him but five leaps to cross the entirety of the ravine, and the mannequin’s head shattered to pieces in Eren’s jaws. Shaking his head to get rid of the tiniest bits sticking to his teeth, he growled a little, then he proceeded to return to his master’s side.

Levi praised him and pointed at a different place. This time, the mannequin was rather high on a platform and there was barbed wire fence between Eren and the platform. Unfazed by this, Eren jumped over the wire as though it was but a child’s play to him, and a heartbeat after, the second mannequin met its untimely end as well.

Seeing Eren like this, Jean felt a sharp pain pierce his heart. He thought it wasn’t right. The Eren he knew and loved was far from this murderous machine he just had to watch. It was indubitably Levi’s fault that the lovely chestnut-haired boy with bright eyes turned into this monster. It was Levi who trained the wolf in Eren to go after a target and taught him to hunt prey.

Eren returned to Levi and lay at his feet. “So, what do you think?” the boss looked Jean in the eye.

There was a while of silence.

Then, Jean finally exclaimed in frustration, “What do I think?!” He was unbelievably furious. What he had witnessed last night got to him much worse than he had expected. The fact that they would have sex often was nothing new, but Jean never knew what kind of sex it could be. Aside from the fact that it was a threesome, what they all did together was fairly normal. Seeing Levi do something this kinky made him angrier than ever before.

Plus, the way Eren flawlessly followed each and every Levi’s command made him feel side-lined. “Besides this and being your cum bucket, he means nothing to you, doesn’t he?!” he snapped at the boss.

Levi moved so quickly that the boy didn’t have time to dodge. The boss tackled him to the ground, and Jean hit his head, hard. “Just for that, I should fucking kill you where you stand,” he bellowed, pressing his knife against Jean’s throat. Jean did not even see him draw it. Eren growled, and that only fed the bitterness Jean felt.

He inhaled slowly to calm himself down from the sudden shock, then he replied with a smirk, “For saying that you don’t give a shit about him?” To hell with all this; he was just about ready to attempt running away with Eren and die in the process not too long ago, so if the boss killed him now, he might in fact be doing Jean a favour.

“No, you were somewhat right about that,” Levi said, moving higher so he was now sitting on Jean’s stomach with his blade still playfully conversing with Jean’s jugular. “First and foremost, he is an important tool. A weapon, if you will. That is true, and I have no problem with you thinking that way of me. However, I will not hesitate to stab you if you call Eren such a thing _ever_ again.”

Jean blinked several times, but kept his mouth shut. Judging by Levi’s reaction, the boss _cared_ , and that was the first time Jean ever saw him…

No.

Nonsense.

Definitely not the first time. He had forgotten, but there were signs of affection in Levi’s behaviour towards Eren. They had always been there, Jean just failed to see them at first; later, he chose not to see them, because it was inconvenient, and whenever he noticed them, he did his best to ignore or forget them.

It was inconvenient, because if Levi only thought of Eren as an important tool as he claimed, it was much easier to hate him. However, this outburst Levi just had clearly showed that Levi cared immensely. Jean did not want to come into terms with that fact. If he had, he would have to admit that not everything Levi did was mistreatment.

The fact that Levi claimed not to care for Eren must have meant that Levi knew it would drive Jean insanely angry and fan the flames of his hate.

Jean’s eyes widened upon a sudden realisation, as he looked up to meet his boss’s gaze.

Levi _wanted_ Jean to hate him.

Why?

Jean didn’t know. For now, all he did know was that Levi wasn’t torturing him because he deemed it fun. Well, maybe that was a part of it as well – but rather than that, Levi simply acted like a total dick because he more or less understood the way Jean thought, and he was aware that this way he was fuelling Jean’s hatred.

If that was really true, then what was the boss’s purpose behind this?

“Why are we actually here?” he said, staring Levi in the eye. He decided not to address what he’d just deduced, for two main reasons. One, he was very much fine with letting Levi continue that farce. Levi had no idea what Jean became aware of, and that gave Jean a slight feeling of sudden empowerment. Two, even if he was aware of it now, he still hated Levi. Such antipathies wouldn’t just vanish like morning mist. However, he _was_ going to change his approach and simply see where this was headed.

Levi narrowed his eyes. “I brought you here to teach you command Eren,” he said without beating around the bush. “And, of course, to have Eren learn to listen to you.” He put his knife away and got up.

Jean got off the ground as well and dusted his clothes. “What for?” he asked.

Levi did not reply; instead, he folded his arms on his chest. “Try and get him to do something.”

Jean pursed his lips and turned to Eren. The beast was standing nearby, watching Jean cautiously. Hesitantly, with his hands trembling, Jean stepped closer and following Levi’s example, he snapped his fingers, intending to order Eren to sit.

He hit the ground so hard he lost his breath. Eren was looming over him, fangs bared and eyes gleaming, bellowing deeply.

“Well, you did make him do _something_ ,” Levi said, slightly displeased, then whistled for Eren to come closer.

Eren whined a little and backed away.

Jean sat up again, realising that he was still shaken. Having death stare him down was more than unsettling. “He did listen to me back when Erwin caused him to transform while he couldn’t,” he said, not sure how to describe that situation. “You weren’t in the room then.”

“Are you saying it might work if I leave?” Levi said thoughtfully. “You could be right, but it’s a great risk to take. Are you sure that is what you want me to do? I might come back and find you torn to shreds.”

Jean swallowed hard. This Eren did not seem to be friendly. It was as though there was no connection between the human Eren and the wolf one. However, he did want to learn to control the wolf. Oddly enough, hearing Levi say that Jean was to be given the reins to this beast made Jean happy. He wasn’t sure why exactly, since it hardly brought him closer to the boy he loved. Perhaps the reason was that he was again a little more likely to stand on even footing with Levi, whom he longed to surpass.

He clenched his fists, turning his back to the fear he felt. He wasn’t going to give up, even if it meant that he could die to Eren’s rage. “I want to try.”


End file.
